Beyoglu, which lies across the Galata Bridge on the other side of the Golden Horn is our second venture out from the traditional Sultanahmet and Bazaar areas. There are three ways to get there :
1. Walk across the Galata Bridge and then hike up the hill.
2. Walk across the Bridge and hike up to the lower end of the main street Istiklal Caddesi to the tram station called Tunel. The tram plies between the lower end of the street to the upper end which terminates at Taksim Square.
3. In my opinion, the best way to get there is to take the tram to Kabatas and then the funicular up the hill. Then you can leisurely walk down the street ending at Tunel and then walk down to the bridge and across.
The picture below is where one emerges after taking the funicular, at Taksim Square.
Among the streets leading off the Taksim Square at the exit near the funicular station is the main street of Istiklal Caddesi. The street is lined with cafes, branded stores and one off boutiques and makes for a pleasant browse. In total it is probably between 1 to 2 km. Along the way are monuments such as the Franciscan Church of St. Mary Draperis. A small statue of the virgin stands at the entrance and a miraculous icon hangs over the altar. One street in one finds the historic Pera Palace Hotel, which was the stop over point for guests travelling on the Orient Express. Their most famous personage was Dame Agatha Christie. One can view her room on request before enjoying a cocktail at the bar.
I indulged in something I wanted to since I got here - kumpir, which is the Turkish name for jacket potatoes, smothered with spices, butter, cheese, different sauces and veggies or meat. Absolutely delicious.
Lunch (for Gordon, I was still full from the kumpir) was at this old venerable cafe called Saray. It apparently has been around for many years and the mayor of Istanbul is said to have a stake in it.
No matter how full I am, I can always make place for my new addiction - baklava. My favourite is the pistachio or fistikli baklava, green and delicious. Or be brave and go for the absolutely sinful double pistachio. The baklava at Saray was great but my hands down favourite baklava in Turkey was from Cigdem, located in Sultanahmet.
Up ahead, the road curves to the left and at the corner is the entrance for the Cicek Pasagi, or the old flower market.
Inside the Cicek Pasagi, the flower shops are long gone, replaced by trendy cafes and restaurants. The alleys behind Cicek Pasagi lead to the famous Galatasaray fish market and the Nevizade Sokak which comes alive in the evening with its numerous restaurants and street cafes. It is one of Istanbul's most colourful and popular eating precincts.
Towards the end of the street is the wonderful Turkish glass boutique Pasabahce. Their flagship and only store and they do not ship, so the only way to get your hands on their wonderful stuff is cash and carry. Arms full with our purchase we decided to take a taxi back to Sari Konak and deposit it in the room before leaving again. We wanted to see the Chora Church mosaics, but unfortunately they had closed an hour earlier than what was mentioned in all the guidebooks. Apparently, they are notorious for changing their timings so I would strongly advise checking with them before you make your way there.
As things stood, we decided to take some down time and rest before heading back to Beyoglu for dinner at the hip and trendy 360. It is on the top floor of a heritage building and famous for its modern cuisine and spectacular view. They are almost always fully booked, so its best to make a reservation early on. Also request for a table on the balcony at the time of reservation. We were unable to get a table on the balcony, so we had our dinner indoors, but a table freed up in time for dessert and they were gracious enough to permit us to enjoy dessert at the balcony. the view is great, especially as the city is all lit up for Ramadan, but in all fairness we enjoyed the view from Meditrina a lot more.
Other sights we would have liked to cover in this area, but could not due to shortage of time include :
1. Dolmabahce Palace : Reached either by getting off at the ferry dock at Besiktas or by bus from Taksim Square. Long lines for the tours which are the only way permitted to see the palace. Famous for the Lalique crystal chandeliers, which can just be glimpsed when passing by on the Bosphorus cruise.
2. Military Museum or Askeri Muzesi. We would have liked to see the Medieval Ottoman military band called the Mehter which performs every afternoon between 3 and 4 pm.
3. The Chora Church which we had scheduled for this afternoon but which we missed simply due to the confusion in timings. It is located on the Sultanahmet side, and best reached by a taxi. Combine it with a meal at the famous restaurant next door, the Asitane.
We returned to the hotel and packed for our early departure the next morning. Istanbul was just the tip of the iceberg, all of Turkey was waiting for us.
