3-7-20 - From Europe to Asia

In the evening, Leanne, Ashley and John will arrive in Istanbul from New Jersey as the two tribes merge back into one.  But for today, Kyle will lead the others in the day adventure but not to worry as John’s Big Sauce Tours has provided Kyle with the itinerary for the day.  The overnight flight and time change has zapped the kids and Kyle has to function as the human alarm clock at 11am. 

Istanbul is one a unique city in that part of it is in Europe and part of the city is in Asia.  The Bosporus Straight (also known as Straight of Istanbul) connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara forming the continental border between Europe and Asia.  The Bosporus also by extension via the Dardanelles Straight connects the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.

Our apartment is on the European side but we will be traversing to the Asia side for the day.  The taxi union ran Uber out of town forcing them to shut down so we will have to rely on taxis.  Kyle is searching for a taxi app when he comes across an article about 10 ways taxi drivers rip off tourists in Istanbul.  They include the usual tricks such as taking you the long way to run up the meter but also a couple new ones such as a button on the side of the meter that the driver surreptitiously hits that makes the meter chunk up or setting the meter to night rates which are higher during the daytime.

As we set off in the taxi, the driver speaks no English. As we are driving he asks me a question in Turkish and it is pointing toward the Bosporus straights.  Yes, I nod confirming we are going to the Asia side. No, he shakes his head and repeats the question.  Then he picks up his phone and is starting to use Google translates but when he looks up from the phone, we are about to careen into the side of a bus. He slams on the brakes and his phone goes flying under the seat. 

At this point, I’m more worried about dying than getting ripped off.  We take the tunnel under the Bosporus but once on the Asia side, it becomes clear he doesn’t know where he’s going or how to get to our Mosque destination.  I have Google maps going on my phone so I’m trying to point at where is supposed to go but apparently he decides its more efficient to look himself so he grabs the phone out of my hand. Say what?  Now, the driver is trying to discern my Google Maps in English by looking at the phone and looking at the streets. 

Hoooonnkkkkk!!!!!!  Phfwow! He almost impales a bicyclist against a bus.  This is no bueno.  I’ll now gladly pay him to just drop me off on the spot and I’ll get a taxi driver who isn’t so intent on killing us in a car wreck. Prayers to the Man upstairs work as he pulls up to our destination and hands the phone back to me smiling.  

The meter shows 60 Turkish Lira and he writes down on a pad 100 Turkish Lira.  What?  How do you get from 60 to 100?  Is he adding an obligatory 65% tip that I should be happy to pay because we’re not dead?  He retrieves his phone from under the seat and uses Google Translate to communicate that the tunnel costs 40 Lira.  It turns out that his original question was whether to use the tunnel which is shorter but has a more expensive fee or the bridge which is further away but with a cheaper fee.  We get it all sorted out and he is on his way.

We start the Big Sauce Tour day John planned at the Sakirin Mosque which was the first Mosque in modern Turkey with the interior designed by a female, Zeynep Fadillioglu.  The mosque was opened in 2009 and it is the most carbon-neutral mosque in Turkey.  The mosque wins bonus points on both fronts. The mosque is large at 10,000 square meters and 500 person capacity. 

We are the only tourists / non-locals there which is something we are quite used to by now. The mosque is quite crowded and as wander to the backside, we figure out why.  The Mosque is located at one of the entrances of the Karacaahmet Cemetary and there is a funeral happening.  We find about 150 people in suits congregated on the back patio and grounds. 

Having checked out the mosque, we move on to exploring the cemetery which at 700 years old, is the oldest cemetery in Istanbul and at 750 acres, is the largest burial ground in Turkey.  There is a list of famous people interred here but with over 1 million gravesites, we don’t hold out much hope of finding them.  It does remind us of Ricoleta Cemetario in Buenos Aires where we were able to actually find Eva Peron’s mausoleum.

From there, we walk about 45 minutes to the waterfront.  It’s good to get some walking in and we’re not in any rush to get back in a taxi after this morning’s episode.  On the waterfront, we buy tickets to go to Maiden’s Tower (also known as Leander’s Tower) which sits right smack in the middle of the Bosporus straight on a small islet. The tower was opened in 1725 and is 18 meters tall.  

The legend of Maiden’s Tower is that an oracle prophesized to an emperor that his daughter would be killed on her 18th birthday so the emperor built the tower and locked her away in to protect.  On her 18th birthday, the emperor celebrated that she was still alive by bringing her a basket of fruit. A snake was hiding in the fruit and promptly administered a lethal bite whereby she dropped dead.  This emperor guy doesn’t seem like the brightest bulb in the shed.  First, she is to die on her 18th birthday so what’s the point in locking her up for years before then?  Second, why is he celebrating victory before her 18th birthday was over?  Clearly this emperor was prepositionally challenged. 

The tower was featured in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough in 1999 and is visible in the background of the 1963 Bond film From Russia With Love.  Also, the tower was the checkpoint on an episode in Season 7 of the Amazing Race.  Yes, this one is all tourist and we are definitely not the only tourists here. We enjoy a nice lunch looking out at the Bosporus.

We walk along the waterfront which is hopping, buzzing and jumping with mobs of people, both tourists and locals alike.  There are outdoor dining places, a giant 1923 sign commemorating Turkey’s independence after World War I. We arrive at the Semsi Pasha Mosque which was built in 1580 by an Ottoman imperial architect for the Grand Vizier Semsi Pasha.  It is quite a bit smaller and less impressive than the Sakirin Mosque from this morning but they are right on the waterfront and have the killer view.

It’s time to head back to meet up with Leanne, John and Ashley.  Instead of a long taxi back, we call and audible and take the ferry from Uskudar back to the European side.  The ferry port is bustling and we walk the 30 minutes back the Airbnb having successfully avoided taking a taxi yet again.

After a week hiatus at the farm to help grandma and accompany her to doctor appointments, the farm crew of Leanne, John and Ashley are back on a plane from Philadelphia to Istanbul via Boston.  Now stocked with an extra suitcase filled with our much needed anti-Corona virus products like masks, wipes, gloves, Zinc and vitamins.  We meet Kyle in Turkey near the center of Istanbul at the Airbnb around 5 pm.  

It’s a wonderfully warm family reunion where we bring US essentials like razors, hand sanitizers and socks. The teens excited reaction was as if we handed them a new iPhone — appreciative of the thoughtfulness and some niceties from back home. Grateful.  

Leanne had contemplated staying on the farm with her mom, but her mom’s surgical procedure was still 3 weeks away and more people on the farm mean more potential carriers and transmitters of the dreaded Coronavirus so she opts to help her mom remotely.  In addition, John was incredibly excited about Turkey and the upcoming Middle East countries.  In fact, Turkey was on John’s initial Top 5 countries list given its importance in world history and the reason Turkey is on the schedule. 

Leanne and Ashley crash early and Kyle and the rest of the kids head out for dinner.  John has picked out a Trip advisor highly rated outdoor kebob restaurant, but when we arrive, we find it’s a small venue that is exploding with people.  The tables are all small and there is a gaggle of people already waiting so we decide to pass. 

There is a similarly situated kebob restaurant meters across the way from the crowded one but it is totally empty as in not one person.  Two waiters are trying to aggressively get us to sit down but warning bells are going off.  If there are 20 locals at the other restaurant willing to wait an hour to eat there versus eating at this one here with no wait, that tells you something.

We head off closer to the port and do find an authentic Turkish kebob outdoor dining restaurant which we thoroughly enjoy.