Istanbul - Day 2

We were supposed to go to Topkapı Palace on the first day but our guide, knowing that it will be swarmed with tourists from the cruise ships, decided to go early in the morning on the second day.  By about 10am the palace was packed.

The Topkapi Palace is a large museum and library that was built at the start of the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.  Topkapi means Cannon Gate.  It is difficult to explain the contents of the museum but it took several hours to even casually go through the museum.  They are mainly artifacts from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Southeastern Europe, West Asian, North Africa, and later Central Europe for more than six centuries.  Below are some of the photographs inside the museum showing some of these artifacts.

Topkapi Palace

We stopped at a nearby restaurant for lunch.  According to our guide this restaurant serves authentic Turkish food. It is served cafeteria style, so you picked whatever dish you want.  Many of us were surprised by the relatively high prices.  You always pay more when you are a tourist.

The Pudding Shop serving authentic Turkish cuisine

Following lunch we took a walk through the Hippodrome of Constantinople.  The word hippodrome comes from the Greek word hippos, meaning horse, and dorms, which means path or way.  Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and many Greek cities have hippodromes.

The Hippodrome today is just a square, also known as the Sultanahmet Square.

The base of the Obelisk

Obelisk of Theodosius

Walkway in the Hippodrome

After the Hippodrome we walked a short distance to the Spice Bazaar.  This is one of the largest spice markets after the Grand Bazaar.  It is sometimes known as the Egyptian Bazaar.  It used to sell mostly spices but today they sell many edibles like Turkish delights and even tourist souvenirs.

Entrance to the Spice Bazaar

These are not spices!

Baklavas, Turkish sweets

Here are spices!

What a typical shop looks like

Inside the Spice Bazaar

A street vendor near the Spice Bazaar

A morning view of the Golden Horn area from our hotel dining room

We have visited most of the major tourist sites in Istanbul.  However, we did not have time for leisure strolls through the streets, without any agenda.  We would do that after this tour and after our visits to Athens and Santorini.  This time we will stay right in the midst of the Fatih district in a neighborhood called Sirkeci, within walking distance from all the busy streets.