Balkans day 22: Istanbul

Having rested and recharged overnight, today was a day of zooming round Istanbul like a maniac. First stop was the Theodosius Cistern, a huge underground space that plays host to a series of lightshows illustrating the city’s history.

Theodosius Cistern

Within easy walking distance of here is the enormous, mazelike, and intimidating central bazaar. I let myself be carried by the crowds in, around, and back out again while absorbing as much of the atmosphere as I could take.

Central Bazaar

Then it was onto a tram, across the Golden Horn, and up the hill to take in views from the Galata Tower.

City rooftops

Back down the hill, past the fishermen on the bridge, and through old Sirkeci station, I hopped on another Marmaray, this time under the Bosphorus itself to the Asian side of the city, for a coffee and a stroll along the waterfront.

Maiden’s Tower, ship, and Topkapi Palace in Europe

Finally – since the Blue Mosque was denied to me, and my attempt to visit the Hagia Sophia failed – I made my way through a bustling commercial district to the Süleymaniye Mosque, commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by Sinan, the architect who probably did more to shape Constantinople/Istanbul than anyone else. It also features Suleiman’s tomb in the mosque grounds.

Dome of Süleymaniye Mosque

After all that, it’s now time to leave Istanbul. I’ve never been to a city where the price differentials are so steep: today’s lunch cost literally a tenth of the previous day’s lunch, despite being very similar. There’s some serious tourist-gouging going on here. I’m also not a fan of the many dudes who hang around on the street and ask you where you’re from, presumably trying to make some sort of money out of you. Relatedly, it’s weird how about two thirds of the people you see out and about are men, often hanging around in hypermasculine-looking groups, even in the sort of service jobs I’m more used to seeing staffed by women. But the city as a whole has left an impression. Istanbul – and Turkey in general – deserves much more time than I’ve been able to give it on this visit. (It’s the first time I’ve “properly” visited the country; previously I’d only changed planes here.)