h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a quick entry with 8 1/2 days of the 14 gone.

What a beautiful, amazing city! Awesome scenery - the Bosphorous strait is particularly beautiful.

The Turks still (even if they seem to think they don't) crow on an awful lot about their conquest of the city from the Byzantines(/Romans/Greeks). Really this still seems very important to Islam in general. The conquest of Constantinople was a big thing to Mohammed himself it seems and so the sight of hordes of Muslims, clearly also here (like me) to see this legendary city is a bit of a revelation.

I had no idea that in the Topkapi palace I would see the Rod of Moses and the skull and arm of John the Baptist. Quite numbing and quite a thing to make you come all over respectful. This was very holy stuff to the muslims in the room even if you personally have very serious reservations about the authenticity of such relics.


The Roman stuff here knocks spots off anything the Ottomans achieved in my opinion. They've never bettered the Valens aqueduct or Hagia Sofia.
Having said that, I'm sure even the Romans would be impressed with the size and scale of the modern, post Ottoman city.

Like most brits, my idea of a Harem is largely derived from having watched Carry on Follow that Camel and possible Carry on Up the Khyber. The fact that the harem was simply the private quarters of the Sultan and his family (albeit, admittedly, along with sometimes several hundred concubines) is a bit of a revelation.

Turkish cars - particularly those driven by Taxi drivers - should have the horn removed at manufacture. In the UK they would get punched several times a day. Particularly ignorant is sounding your horn because you've been held up by 3 seconds at 7.30 in the morning on a street with about 20 hotels. How many people have you awoken?

If you go to Turkey, eat kebabs for a couple of weeks before you come. Only way to keep things solid I reckon - or at least worth a try (too much information yes).

Recommended sights.

The Walls of Constantinople - incredible - but get info on the various bits of it or it's going to be just a bunch of walls and towers.

Hagia Sofia - one of the most impressive historical monuments I've ever seen. Probably beats anything I saw in Rome and is much more interesting than St Peters in Rome. Wonder what it would be like now if the Byzantines had held the city until now. However, see what the muslims added to it...

Chora Church (Kariye museum) - beautiful Byzantine mosaics.

Bosphorous cruise. A rare chance to truly relax (and get sunburnt!) in this busy city.

Taksim Square and the large shopping street descending from there. Oxford street eat your heart out.

The Grand Bazaar - personally I preferred the real turkish market streets that separated it and the Spice Bazaar.

Blue Mosque, Suleiyman Mosque and others - Meh. Nice but 5 minute jobs and barely worth it. IF they think they surpass Hagia Sofia they are poorly mistaken.

Basilica cistern - amazing - simply amazing although not more that an hour or so visit.

Galata tower - well it looks interesting from the outside. Four days to go...

19th century Sultans' palaces. Went to Dolmabahce when it was shut (doh!). So will let you know. Did however see the Beyrlebeyi palace (just a hunting lodge) on our Bosphorous cruise. Wow. Sumptuous doesn't begin to describe it - it doesn't surprise me in the least that they nearly bankrupted the Empire building them.

Topkapi palace. Impressive certainly but aside from the religious artifacts section I wasn't all that blown away. I hadn't appreciated the religious side of the Sultans and their empire before I visited though. Clearly they at least saw themselves as Caliph as well as Sultan.


Palace of Blachaernae (palace of the porphyrogenitus) - disappointing. Just a wall next to a playground where the kids try and hustle you.

That's it for now. Remaining plans - Dolmabahce palace, Archeology museums, possible Galata tower. Maybe visit Uskudar on the Asian side. But primarily - rest our poor sore feet.

Oh and two things I forgot.

If you come here be forewarned that you will get reassured by a helpful guy on the side street that he is not a guide. Don't worry. He is just a nice guy being helpful...

The fact that you will just happen to pass his carpet shop is neither here nor there

I now assure them that I prefer laminate flooring although I think this joke is lost on them.

Secondly - is the Black Sea a lake? Having now had a swim in it I am intrigued that it appears to be fresh water. Given it has a direct connection (the Bosphorous) to the Sea of Marmara and then the Med it seems odd. True nevertheless.

But it is fed by the Danube?!?!

And several other rivers, as with other seas but they taste salty. There is a salty back current from the Sea of Marmara and the Med but it is quite deep apparently since the salt water is denser.

Interesting observation I wasn't expecting anyhow. P-)

Bookmarking for later!