We reached Istanbul Sultanahmet area around 7pm, and it was already dark then. We refreshed ourselves, and went on a long stroll around the road watching the beautiful mosques, parks, churches, restaurants and the vibrant night life. We had our dinner at Barbecue house.
Day 2 started with a bright sunshine, and we reached Sultanahmet mosque (Blue mosque), our first destination. It is certainly the most beautiful mosques I’ve ever seen, and an important attraction point in the whole city. Its 6 soaring minarets is clearly visible from all over the city. Especially, it has a beautiful view during sunrise, and dusk, and at night. You enter the mosque and find a beautiful haveli type area with symmetrical pillars allover. Inside of the mosque welcomes you with nice red carpets and exquisite interiors. Interiors look like some of the mahals in Jaipur, and its one of the best examples of Ottoman architecture. Tourists are not allowed when the prayer is going on.
Near to Blue mosque is a beautiful Gulhane park, means Flowers Park. We took a long stroll across the park after grabbing our Dolmas.
We booked for our Bosphorus Golden Cruise Tour at 1.00pm. This is a 3.5 hour private boat cruise starting at Istanbul Port. There is no best way to see the amazing history than this boat tour. Bosphorus (also called Istanbul Strait) is not just a mere water boundary that divides European and Asian part of Turkey, but has attracted some of the world’s interesting cultures to lay claim to its beautiful shores (Now I seriously wish I had some photos to share with you).
The cruise starts from Marmara Sea, gently touching the Black sea and finally reached Bosphorus. Throughout the journey, we observed some of the breathtaking Ottoman summer palaces along the shore side like Dolmabahce and Ciragan Palace, waterfront mansions, red colored houses possessed only by Ottomans during their age. The boat passed through magnificent Bosphorus suspension bridge that connects Asia and Europe.
Then the boat gazed through Golden Horn, which forms a natural harbor for its peninsula. This area once served as a naval headquarters for many empires. Then, we saw the great walls of Constantinople, the Rumeli Hisari Fortress on the European side, which was captured by the great ottoman kings before capturing the then Constantinople.
Subsequently, the most historical happening was stepping into the village of Kanlica which is on the Asian side. Kanlica is a small fishing village that prides for her rich yogurt that is made out of cow and sheep’s milk. It is said that originally the yogurt is served by cutting it with a knife – so thick.
Starting again from Kanlica, we surpassed through the most beautiful landscape with the shore side red wooden houses which were once a prestigious possessions of only Ottomans. Now these are either owned by government or by the richest people of turkey.
We had 20 minutes for this and with nothing to see much in the mist, we bounced back as a ball hit on the wall. And while cruising down to the starting point, we witnessed a lot of great castles and defensive fortresses, ottoman houses that are now owned by lavish rich people. We heard a lot of stories about Ottomans and the Byzantines. More about the Ottomans that they ruled from 1299 till 1922. After the fall of Ottoman empire, they were sent as exiles, and were not allowed to stay or get citizenship in Turkey until late 1970s. The family of ottomans, even now, spread all over the world, will have a get-together in Istanbul when there is a function or else. The most recent was during the death of one of the elderly ottoman person Ertuğrul Osman in Sept 2009. Ottoman's from all over the world came to Istanbul to mourn for him.
By the time our guide finished his stories, the tour was over, and we were back in the port at half past five.
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