As always, I'm overwhelmed by events on this sort of trip and the blog posts quickly slip behind, sometimes emerging late, sometimes not at all. Photographs pose a greater problem since, even when I have internet, it may not be fast enough to upload pictures. This post seeks to give a flavour of Saturday.
I was picked up from the Four Seasons Hotel in Baku, Aberbaijan at the unsocial time of 03:45 to be transferred to Baku Airport and fly by Turkish Air to Instanbul. Flying home via Istanbul was the method recommended by my travel agent so, not having previously been to Istanbul, I decided to stay for two nights and see a little of this important 'city' (I first wrote 'capital', forgetting that Kemal Ataturk promoted Ankara as the new capital in 1923 to mark the end of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of independent Turkey). The flight on an A321-200 was fine and breakfast was served during the journey.
Approaching Istanbul Ataturk Airport (top right) from Baku. The building in the foreground with the low dome is Istanbul Aquarium.
I went through arrival at Instanbul Ataturk airport in possibly a record time (about 35 minutes from 'engines stopped' to exiting the green customs channel with checked bag and hand luggage). I was met by the arranged car to transfer me to my hotel. My agent had recommended a boutique hotel in the centre of the old city called the Levni Hotel and Spa which proved a good choice.
At first, the journey from the airport to hotel was similar to any other large city, using a modern dual carriageway but this changed as we then plunged into an apparently medieval road system built on a hillside comprising narrow, twisting lanes lined with elderly buildings and filled with modern motor vehicles, generally stationary. When vehicles did move, this often seemed to result in 'near misses' with adjacent cars, necessitating urgent horn blowing.
Istanbul: Typical traffic hold-up in the 'Old Town'.
I'm pleased to report that I eventually reached the hotel uninjured. At the hotel, I rejected the tempting plan to catch up on much-needed sleep and, after a shower, explored the hotel facilities. The roof area gave splendid views across the city. My location was in the 'Old Town', near famous locations like Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia, part of European Turkey. In one direction, I looked across the Sea of Marmara with Asian Turkey on the other side. The Sea of Marmara is an 'inland sea' as it is entirely within Turkey. To the west, the Sea of Marmara connects via the Dardanelles with the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean.
Istanbul, Turkey: View from Hotel Levni across the Sea of Marmara with Asian Turkey on the far side.
Turning to my left, I looked at the Bosphorus which connects to the Black Sea (and, beyond that, the Sea of Azov which has become politically sensitive since the Russian Republic completed a bridge to occupied Crimea and compromised shipping movements).
Istanbul, Turkey: View from Hotel Levni looking towards the Bosphorus, with the first of three Bosphorus suspension bridges in the background. A container ship, smaller cargo ship and numerous passenger ferries are visible.
Excited by what I'd seen, I decided to walk the short distance to the waterfront and the ferry terminals at Sirkeci. I'd discussed the Metro system with the friendly male hotel receptionist, who had insisted on lending me his Istanbulkart. This is a credit card which you load with credit which is debited a fixed amount for every tram, metro, bus or ferry journey you make (as is common in many cities). I changed some money into the local currency (Turkish Lira) near the hotel and walked through the narrow streets to the open area near the waterfront where I discovered an information bureau. I obtained a couple of maps so that I could plan a metro journey but the helpful lady assistant offered to walk me to a nearby automatic machine and show me how to obtain my own Istanbulkart so that's what we did. The information office was outside Sirkeci railway station which appears to be reduced to a terminus for a modest electric multiple unit service, served by a modern building. But the original Oriental-Gothic station buildings dating from 1890 have been preserved, although the track which once accommodated the Orient Express service has been shortened and the space gained given over to souvenir sellers.
Istanbul, Turkey: Sirkeci station building dating from 1890 in Oriental-Gothic style.
There's even a small Krauss-built tank engine (or as the Germans say 'tenderlok') plinthed outside.
Krauss 0-4-0T (no. 380 of 1874) plinthed at Sirkeci. TCDD running number 2251.
I discovered later that there's also a one-room museum of railway memorabilia which didn't open during my visit, but I looked in through the windows.
Adjacent to this station, I found the rather temporary-looking entrance to the underground. I'd remembered (from a television documentary) that the TCDD underground line here crossed the Bosphorus using immersed tube construction (the 'Marmaray Tunnel'), so I decided to journey to Uskudar on the Asian side. I made the journey without incident (other than being firmly told by a lady member of the station staff at Sirkeci that photography is not allowed) and emerged at ground level at Uskudar adjacent to a ferry terminal similar to the one at Sirkeci. After taking a couple of pictures, I descended to platform level and travelled back to Sirkeci underground station. I'd started my outward journey via the entrance near the waterfront, going down three escalators to a deep level with long, intermediate level passages. On my return, I deliberately chose a different exit which still had three escalators but which emerged less than 100 yards from my hotel. I was pleased with my initial introduction to Istanbul and it was only 1.00 p.m.
Itinerary of the Bosphorus Cruise displayed in the hotel
On my arrival at the hotel that morning, I'd decided to book an afternoon organised Bosphorus Cruise, in case I lacked the energy (or courage) to do anything on my own so at 1.30 p.m. I was picked up in a small coach, already almost full of passengers. It took us 30 minutes to make our way through the traffic jams to the Golden Horn, passing the imposing Yeni Mosque in the Eminonu district.
17th century Yeni Mosque in Eminonu, Istanbul.
We disembarked at the side of the road and walked to a large tourist boat where well over 100 passengers were already queuing for a buffet style lunch.
Lunch aboard the Bosphorus Cruise vessel
I had almost finished my lunch by the time the last bus had delivered its passengers and we set off on our tour. We passed under the cramped Ataturk Bridge then the modern cable-stayed bridge carrying the Taksim Metro.
Bosphorus Cruise: Ataturk Bridge (with fishermen) and modern cable-stayed bridge serving the Taksim Metro in the background.
Finally, we passed under the famous Galata Bridge and entered the Bosphorus, keeping close to the European shore with public ferries and tour boats everywhere. No larger cargo ships appeared until around 6.00 p.m.
Bosphorus Cruise: Passing a conventional ferry heading for Karakoy Pier, with the Galata Tower in the background.
A commentator identified the major landmarks in English over an effective public address. We passed under the first two Bosphorus Bridges and turned just short of the third bridge with the Black Sea just ahead. The first bridge was opened in 1973, the second in 1988 and the third (which carries a double-track railway in addition to motor traffic) in 2016.
Bosphorus Cruise: The First Bosphorus Bridge.
Bosphorus Cruise: The Second Bosphorus Bridge.
Bosphorus Cruise: The Third Bosphorus Bridge.
On the way back we followed the Asian shore, stopping for 30 minutes at the town of Bakoz for a short walk ashore or refreshments.
Bosphorus Cruise: Street scene in Bakoz.
Before turning west to enter the Golden Horn and return to our mooring, we saw the Maiden's Tower, on a small island just off the Asian shore. There's a Wikipedia article here but many people recognise it from its appearance in the James Bond film 'The World is not Enough'. It currently operates as a cafe and restaurant.
Bosphorus Cruise: Maiden's Tower and, on the right, 'Sea Pearl' heading towards the Black Sea.
We arrived back in Istanbul around 6.30 p.m. and, despite the rather primitive arrangements ashore involving walking along temporary paths through building work for a new tram line and queuing at the edge of a busy road as we were allocated to one of a number of coaches, I was soon safely back in my hotel after an absorbing trip.
Related posts on this website
This is the first of a short series of posts describing my weekend in Istanbul.
Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report
Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Istanbul reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Istanbul reports.
My pictures
Istanbul, Turkey.
Bosphorus Cruise.
Istanbul's Railways.
Istanbul's Metro.
All my pictures in Turkey.
[Text amended, pictures embedded 30/31-Dec-2018: Istanbul trip separated from Caspian Odyssey 7-Jan-2019]
