Archeologic treasures and a quiet evening walk

Friday, May 13, 2016

A day without any plans – so looking forward to it.  We met Muammer this morning at our hotel at 8:30.  He brought our large duffle bag, which we had left at his office when we traveled to Ephesus.  He joined us for a cup of tea in the breakfast room/restaurant of the hotel, and then we were off to explore our last favorite places in the city before departure tomorrow.

A great morning view from our hotel room

Courtyard of Sultanahmet Palace Hotel

Hotel courtyard gardens

Another view of the hotel gardens

It rained last night and everything seems fresh.  We walked around the gardens a bit and the bell staff wiped off the outdoor chairs in the rose garden/fountain area and brought us cushions to sit on.  We relaxed and chatted for a while and then decided to work on a plan for our luggage on the return trip tomorrow.  We asked the receptionist for a scale, and they loaned us one that worked really well.  We found out our duffle bag is just over the weight limit of 23 KG – so emptied out some of the heavier stuff (Turkish delight!) to be sure it wouldn’t be over.  Michael decided that it might be good to get a second duffle bag for any extra things we have.  If we do that, we can pack his six (bubble wrapped) Iznik tiles in his suit case and he won’t have to carry them on. 

The Ayasofia Hamam in daylight, with fountain in Sultanahmet Square -men and women's sides are mirror images

The Hagia Sophia was tops on my list of reasons to visit Istanbul - and it it fabulous

We headed out to walk to Topkapi Palace to see the Istanbul Archeology Museum.  They have a pretty “knock your socks off” collection of materials from the Mesopotamian, Hittite, Anatolian, Greek and Roman times.  Perhaps most impressive is the building with all the artifacts from Istanbul itself over almost 3 millennia.  We spent about 2 hours and then had a drink in the museum’s outdoor café, among the columns, capitals, cats and sarcophagi.

Istanbul Archeologic Museum

Hittite lions guarding the entrance

Alexander the Great

Tile panels lining the entranceway into palace at Babylon

A mini sphynx?

Lovely spot for a tea -  outdoor cafe at the museum

We walked  back to Sultanahmet Square, stopping at a confectionary shop to buy some “birds’ nest baklava” to take back on our return tomorrow.  They vacuum packed it for us, and we bought a few additional piece to eat.  Michael stopped at a street café for a sandwich and I did some shopping at the Ayasofia Hurram Sultan Hamami to purchase spa gifts for Sara, Belle and Elizabeth.  We were back to the hotel by about 2:30 PM and we both relaxed in our respective ways – I worked on photos and my trip report, Michael went out for a walk.  

We made reservations at 6:30 for dinner at the O’Live Restaurant for our last night in town.  We enjoyed it greatly on Monday and found out it ranks in the top 20 of 12,000 restaurants in Istanbul on Trip Advisor.  

Our dinner was delicious again.  It was sad that we were only the second couple in the whole restaurant.  I had the cheese and fruit platter to begin, Michael had the soup of the day – lentil with red pepper and lemon.  We had “hot meze” for our main courses: Borekci Tabagi “Ottoman Borek Platter” and Feraye Manti “Turkish ravioli"– crispy fried tortellini like pasta with meat inside, served with red pepper sauce and yoghurt.  For dessert, we shared the baklava again (apricot almond and chocolate hazelnut), and I had Turkish coffee.  I also had a glass of Turkish cabernet sauvignon with my meal and the whole deal came to 120 TL – about $40.  Amazing value.

We highly recommend the O'Live restaurant - too bad the tourism is hurting so badly in Istanbul

Feraye Manti “Turkish ravioli"

Borekci Tabagi “Ottoman Borek Platter”

I inquired about the birds that I have been watching roosting in the tree tops in Gulhane Park.  Our waiter Murat said they are storks, which is what Mustafa called them on Friday as well.  (They look more like a type of egret, but what do I know?)  Because we were talking about birds, he took us over to a rooftop on the other end of the restaurant where 3 baby fledgling seagulls were wandering around under the protective eye of mama bird.

We walked back and I took a few twilight photos of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Sultanahmet Square.  We spent some time packing up our suitcases and getting ready for the trip home tomorrow.  Elizabeth called to wish us a good night.

Last evening in Istanbul

Evening view of the Blue Mosque from our hotel balcony