First Week in Our New Flat

Our Street Sign

This is our street sign at the end of our block.  Karakolu means "station", Sokak means "street", so we live on Muhurdar Station Street.  We live in the City of Karakoy in the neighborhood of Moda.

Outside Front

This is the front of our flat.  Ours is the top balcony.  It's called the 4th floor because the bottom floor is counted as 0.  Our flat is number 6 because there are 2 flats on floor 0.  

Looking West

This is our first day at the flat.  We actually moved in later that night at about 7:00pm.  We had brought our bags from the hotel at about 1:00pm, but the owner was still moving out and had a cleaning lady cleaning behind her.  Meanwhile, Ben and I shopped our mattress and pillows and rode the trolly around the neighborhood.  It was a rainy day and this is the view down the street looking west towards the water.   It was so gray that day it's hard to tell the sky from the water.

Looking East

As you can see, it is a rainy gray day.  This is looking east and slightly uphill from the flat entrance.  This is the direction we go for groceries, including the bakery and fish markets.  Once we go up a few blocks to the T, we turn left and we can find anything we need, including restaurants galore.  

Ben off to Work

This is Ben heading off to work from our new flat on our first morning there.  Yes, that is a cup of coffee!  We have a French press and we broke down and bought coffee at the only Starbucks in our neighborhood....next is a thermos mug to keep his coffee warm on his 30 minute walk to work.  He had just put our garbage in the Big Blue Box.....more on that below.

Green Velvet Sofa

This is Cindy on the Green Velvet Sofa in our living room.  She spends her mornings looking for work in the US and now in Istanbul and working on the blog.  She also shops at the markets and is getting to know the shop keepers and they are getting to know her.  She is the crazy lady that does not want everything in a plastic bag, she has her own cloth bag!  Crazy Lady!  She is also our activity coordinator and plans our weekend outings.  Last weekend we went to the Grand Bazaar and this weekend we will sail up the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea have lunch at a little fishing village and sail back.  We are hoping Paul and Kris, that are coming for a weeks stay with us on Wednesday, are up for that!

Peek-a-Boo View

This is our view from the balcony on a sunny day!  We can look out and see the Bosphorus Strait and all kinds of boats going by.  It's also nice to see the sky and sun over the roof tops of this densely populated area!  Being on the south side of the street and on the top floor, we get lots of sunshine in our whole flat.  In the late afternoon, we have to have the slider door open to cool it down inside.  We are glad we have shades and a fan come summer.  Still looking for some chairs and flowers for the balcony.

Big Blue Box

See that big blue box on the street corner?  That's where our garbage goes.  Ben usually takes it out in the morning on his way to work.  It has a nice big foot bar on the bottom that opens the lid so you don't even have to touch the box with your hands.  Ben likes that!    Oh, Cindy loves that little old red mini in front of the new black mini too.

On the top of the box is a large ratchet poking out.  The garbage truck has the female part that hooks onto the top and picks it up over all the cars and hangs it over the garbage truck.  The bottom of the blue box splits in half and the bottom opens up and the garbage gets dumped into the truck.  Then they plop it back where it was!  There are natural recyclers that come and pick through the garbage and recycle anything from cardboard to used shoes on a daily basis.  If your car gets towed, they use a similar crane-like devise.  It just claws over the whole car and picks it up and places it on a flat bed truck.  Boom..gone!

First Friday Night

Here is Ben in our dining room on our first Friday night! See the nice sunset in the background?  Oh, and the shamrock hanging from the light?  Oh, and the nice bouquet of flowers Ben brought home?  Ben is wondering "where's the pork!?"  We did just find one deli in the fish market that actually had pork this Sunday afternoon!!  We had Gordon, Jimmy and Teresa over for a little house warming on Sunday evening and we served them a pork salami.  They were so thrilled to have pork that Gordon found the same deli that night and bought some more pork for himself.    

Bosphorus Strait Park

This is Ben on the staircase to the park at the end of our block.  We walk 1.5 blocks to the top of these stairs and down to the park.  It goes right down to the Bosphorus.  If we head north on the path, it takes us to the ferry docks and a little further is Ben's work.  If we head south it goes around a point that is the entrance to the Sea of Marmara.  We get great views of the European side and all the International ships going by.  The doggie condos are on the right side of these stairs.  

Stair Landing

Here is Ben at our stair landing, outside our front door.  The little curtained cupboard is for your shoes.  He is removing his shoes after a day of touring the Grand Bazaar on the European side.  

5 Stories Up

These are the stairs to our flat.  Yes, it's 5 stories up, with no elevator.  They don't always smell the best.  You get your neighbors strange cooking smells and someone has cats or lets the strays in.  It's a great workout, especially with a few bags of groceries.  We are happy that our apartment smells like us, but better since Ben brought home flowers with huge sweet smelling lilies.  Cindy thinks we should invest in lilies for each landing on the stairs!

Sunday at the Fish Market

 We went to the Fish Market again on our first Sunday in the flat.   It's about a 15-20 minute walk from our flat, depending which way we wind through the streets.  The array of fish is amazing, most caught locally in the Bosphorus, Black Sea and Sea of Marmara.  This market goes on for several blocks and is very similar to the Pike Place Market in Seattle.  

Produce at the Fish Market

Here is some produce at the market.  This market has deli's, spice shops, bakeries, butchers and anything else you would ever need to make a great meal.  It is quite overwhelming at first!  We are learning where to go for what we want and who can speak a little English to help us if we have questions.  The shop keepers are always willing to help you to buy their product or bring you to who has what you are looking for : )

Balcony Corner Market Shopping

If you need a little snack, or you just need some butter for dinner, each block has a little corner market.  Cindy has been talking to our corner store guy almost every day.  Today, after she went for a great run on the Bosphorus trail, she stopped in for a few sodas (that's what they call mineral water, plain or with fruit juice).  She only had a 50 that was too big for him to break.  So she went back up to the flat for a smaller bill.  Well, as she has been talking to him over the days she has learned how we can call him and order a few items, lower a basket or bag from the balcony with money in it and he will come and put the items in the bag, take his money and give you change!  So that's what Cindy did today!  She called him after looking up the Turkish words for basket and balcony, and she asked for her 3 sodas to be delivered.  He understood and came out and delivered her 3 sodas.  No running up and down 5 flights of stairs and it was fun!  This is the basket with a rope attached that Semra (our flat owner) left us for this purpose.  

Our Bedroom

This is our bedroom.  It came with all the furniture and drapes.  We bought a new mattress, pillows and bedding.  The mattress and all were delivered the night we bought it and they carried it up all those stairs for us!  The little lamp on the night stand we just bought at the Grand Bazaar this Saturday.  It is a classic Turkish style lamp we are bringing home with us when Ben moves back.  

It also has a nice big dresser and mirror.  That is the door out to the hallway by Ben. 

There are nice big armoires for our hanging clothes and more.  I guess Cindy can ship Ben the rest of his clothes when she gets home!

These are the windows and door to the enclosed back balcony.  This balcony is shared with our guest bedroom.  We will be very happy to have this back balcony for cross ventilation in the summer.  Another nice thing about this flat and bedroom is that it is quite at night, so sleep is easy.  

Back Courtyard

This is what we see out the back balcony.  It is much better than most courtyards we had seen while apartment hunting.  At least it has some trees and people take care of their back decks.  

The Bathroom

It has all the essentials!  Some extras are a towel warmer and a venting window.  The venting window is essential, it's just considered extra because, living on the top floor, everyones venting comes up this way.  We have since gotten a strong smelling candle we light in the bathroom.   

Guest Room

The guest bedroom has a large bed and the shared balcony out the back.   

It also has a large desk with a twin bed on top.  We have plenty of room for guests, so let us know when you can come and book your ticket!

It also has two chairs for relaxing in your own room.  Cindy is still not happy with the arrangement of this room, so we might be moving it around and putting that large white "armoire" out on the enclosed deck.  There will still be plenty of storage for anyones clothes.  

Ben's Dressing Room

This room is right across from our bedroom.  It has another nice armoire for Ben's work clothes.  He can get up and shower, then dress in here and not disturb Cindy in the bedroom at 6:00am or earlier, if she doesn't want to get up that early!  

It also doubles as the clothes drying room while we have guests.  It is really uncommon to have a dryer due to poor electricity.  There are other clothes drying racks in the enclosed balcony out back.  We are very happy to have a washer!  This is also the storage room, we have our luggage and some of the owners items we did not want or need around the house in here. 

Entryway

 This is the entryway where we hang our coats after taking our shoes off. It also has storage for purses and shopping bags.   Ben is coming from the bedrooms and bathroom area.

 Ben is at the front door that is a heavily secure steal door with several locks.

This side of the entryway leads to the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left.  

Kitchen

 This is Ben figuring out how to use the dishwasher for the first time.  We also have a stove, toaster oven and microwave oven.  Ovens are another thing that is rare due to poor electricity.

 Ben is making sure the dishwasher is firing off.  Cindy had to translate all the buttons on the dishwasher and the clothes washer that were in Turkish.  We have a nice big fridge too.

 This is Ben on the other side of the kitchen, with the dining room in the background.

Dining Room and Living Room

 Dining room and part of the living room from the kitchen

 From the other side of the living room

 Huge sectional in living-room, and Cindy is holding a pillow we bought at the Grand Bazaar.  The big screen TV is on the wall to the left.  We are still working on getting English speaking TV on the satellite.  Hopefully we have a guy coming tonight that will fix where our satellite dish points!

Again, plenty of room for guests.  We would love to have you.  Love'n our new place but love and miss you all too.   Ben and Cindy

A Happy Birthday shout out to Philip.  We both love you and wish you a great 25th birthday son.  Mom remembers that day like it was yesterday....how time flies.  You make us both so proud to have you as our son.  We bought you an awesome present at the Grand Bazaar the other day, we just hope mom gets through customs with it.  She'll send it to NYC when she gets home....or just throw it out the plane and aim for Central Park as she flies over  : )  Love mom and dad.  

Blue Mosque

Background:  This famous and gorgeous mosque is one of the world's finest.  It was built in just 7 years by the architect Mehmet Aga.  He also rebuilt Kaaba, the holiest shrine of Islam with the giant black cube at the center of the mosque in the holy city of Mecca.  Locals call it the Sultan Ahmet Mosque for the ruler who financed it, but travelers know it as the Blue Mosque because of the rich blue color of the handmade ceramic tiles that dominate the interior.  ~ RICK STEVES' ISTANBUL

Six Minarets

Aside from its impressive scale and opulent interior, the Blue Mosque is unique because of its 6 minarets.  According to Muslim tradition, the imam (prayer leader) or the muezzin (a man chosen for his talent in correctly voicing the call to prayer) would climb to the top of a minaret 5 times each day to announce the call to prayer.  On hearing this warbling chant, Muslims are to come to the mosque to pray.  Today, an imam or muezzin still performs the call to prayer, but now it's amplified by loudspeakers at the top of the minarets.  

Look for a movie on the Blue Mosque Album to hear a call to prayer from the Blue Mosque and neighboring mosques.

Why Six Minarets?

The stories go like this:  Sultan Ahmet I asked the architect for a gold (altin in Turkish) minaret, but the man thought he said six (alti).  Some others think he requested the 6 minarets to flaunt his wealth. At the time, the central mosque in the holy city of Mecca also had 6.  The clergy at Mecca feared that Ahmet's new mosque would upstage theirs, so the sultan built a 7th minaret at Mecca!  Which story do you believe?  

Outer Courtyard

Cindy is at the entrance to the Outer Courtyard.  The outdoor courtyard has water taps for ablution, the ritual cleansing of the body before worshipping.  Brrrr, that would be really cold today!

Inner Courtyard

The courtyard is surrounded by a portico, which provides shade and shelter.  The shutters along the back wall open in summer for ventilation.  When the mosque fills up for special services, worshippers who can't fit inside pray in this area.  Today such jam-packed services are rare.  Muslins are no longer required to actually go to the mosque 5 times each day; they can pray anywhere.  The exception is the midday service on Friday, which the Quran dictates should be a time for all worshippers to come together in congregation.

Old Fountain

Ben and Cindy are standing by this fancy old fountain in the center of the Inner Courtyard. It was the original place for ablution, before the taps were placed in the Outer Courtyard.  It is no long functional.  

Interior

Stepping into the interior, you can understand why this is called the Blue Mosque.  It takes a moment to breathe in the vast and intensely decorated interior.  

Cindy is in the visitor section with her headscarf on and her shoes off.  On the other side of the wood railing is the area reserved for worshippers, who fill the space at all times of the day.  

On the far left is the highly decorated marble niche the golden triangle on the top.  This is the mihrab, which points southeast to Mecca, where all Muslims face when they worship, as you can see. 

On the right side of the apse is a staircase leading up to a platform with a cone on top.  This is another mimber, similar to a pulpit in a Christian church.  A mimber is symbolic of the growth of Islam because Muhammad had to stand higher and higher to talk to his growing following.  

 The upper walls are decorated with floral-designed stained-glass windows, many of them still original from the 17th century.  

This fancy marble platform elevated on columns is where the choir sings hymns a cappella on important religious days.

Mosque services are segregated.  The main hall, you just saw, is reserved for men, while women use this colonnaded area behind the barriers at the back, on both sides of the main entrance.  You might think it is demeaning to make women stay in back, but most Muslims feel it's respectful to women and more conductive to prayer.  The men too are better able to concentrate on God without the distraction of bent-over women in front of them, and women feel more comfortable not having men behind them.  Really?!  I think this deserves some of your comments!!

The huge dome reaches a height of 141 feet and a diameter of 110 feet and is modeled after the one in Hagia Sophia.  Hagia Sophia was the first building to use pillars to support a giant central dome.  This same fundamentals are still used today in many mosques.

Another entry for you structural engineering types:  Near the corners of this vast room, Cindy is standing by the giant pillar paved with fluted marble panels.  These "elephant feet" support the arches, dome, semi-domes, and cupolas. Since the weight is transferred mainly to these 4 pillars, thick, bulky walls are not needed.  Like the flying buttresses on the Notre Dame, this technique allows the walls to have more windows.  This was an improvement over the gloomy interior of the Hagia Sophia.  

Hippodrome

Stepping outside of the Mosques exterior gate, we entered a long, skinny square that was the site of the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople.  Built in the 4th century, the Hippodrome was Constantinople's primary venue for chariot races.  It became the place where the people of the city gathered, and it has also been the scene of social and religious disputes, political clashes and violent uprisings.  In Byzantine glory days, the Hippodrome was decorated with monuments from all over the world.

Egyptian Obelisk

 Ben is standing near this ancient, pointy pillar that was carved about 1,500 years BEFORE the birth of Christ!  It was carved to honor the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III.  It's inscribed hieroglyphs commemorate his military achievements.  

Column of Constantine

Like the Egyptian Obelisk, this column went up in the 4th century.  But unlike its Egyptian sister, it was constructed here.  In the early 10th century, Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus sheeted the column with bronze panels.  But as the city was looted during the 4th Crusade, the panels were pulled down to make weapons.  It has remained this plain column you see Cindy standing by since.  

Column of the Serpent

This unimpressive structure was a victory monument dedicated to the gods by 31 Greek city states to commemorate their victory against the Persians at Plataea in 479 BC.  It stood at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi for 800 years until it was brought to Constantinople in the 4th century.  We saw a miniature of what this originally looked like in the Arts Museum.  It showed 3 serpents twisted together, their heads supporting a golden trophy.  The original gold trophy was gone before Constantine had possession of it, but the snake heads disappeared only 300 years ago.  

Ibrahim Pasa Palace

This is what remains of the palace that was a gift from Suleyman the Magnificent to Ibrahim Pasa in 1520.  Through the years, the palace has been used as a palace school, a dormitory for single soldiers and a prison.  In 1983, it was restored and became the home of the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, which we will visit another time.  

German Fountain

This fountain was a gift from the German government to commemorate Kaiser Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898.  It was constructed in pieces in Germany, then shipped to Istanbul in 1901 and reassembled on this location.  Kaiser Wilhelm II visited Istanbul 3 times to schmooze the sultan.  He wanted the Ottoman Empire on his side when war was eminent in Europe.  It worked, when war erupted in 1914, the Ottoman and Germans were allies.  Less than 4 years later, the Ottomans lost the war and with it, what remained of their ailing empire.  The last sultan was sent into exile with the establishment of the Turkish Republic in the 1920's.  

We wandered west of the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome to find dinner and came across this beautiful sunset over the Sea of Marmara.  You can see many ships just sitting out in the sea.  It was just beautiful.  More pictures will be on the Blue Mosque Album.

Some colorful bags that would make great gifts!  Anyone interested?

An OLD grave yard at the entrance to a small bazaar.  Cindy bought a gray pashmina here.

The courtyard to Daruzziyafe.  This would be wonderful to eat at in the summer, but it was in the 30's tonight, so we ate inside.  This restaurant is near the main entrance of the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, which we will visit later.  It was once the mosque's soup kitchen.  

 Here is Cindy warming up with some Turkish Tea.  Today, this soup kitchen is a traditional restaurant well-reguarded for its Ottoman-Turkish cuisine.

Ben had 3 fried meatballs, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, tomato and mild green pepper.  The drink is called serbet and is boiled fruit juice with added sugar, the fruit depends on the season.  We think it was pomegranate.  This is the drink of Sultan, since they didn't drink water.  The waiter just gave it to us...and it was good!

Cindy had a chicken dish with mushrooms, peppers and onions, potatoes, rice and tomatoes.  They are heavy on the starches.  There was only 2 other tables occupied when we arrived, but during our meal an English speaking tour group of about 35 people came.  We were given one of their desserts too!  Baklava, yum!

It was a dark, cold walk back to the tram. We then caught the tram down to the ferries.  We missed the last ferry on the Old Town side and had to walk across the Galata Bridge and caught the late ferry from the New District side back to our Asian side.  It was a Sunday night, so right to the hotel and to bed.