Day 13 of Turkey Vacation: Istanbul on August 31st, 2016

Third day in Istanbul.
The plan of the day was to visit Dolmabahçe Palace on Bosphorus Strait, then wander around the old city of Istanbul for the attractions that were left behind in the first day.

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Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace was just North of the terminal station Kabataş of Istanbul Tram 1. We saw its splendid facade during yesterday’s Bosphorus tour, and would visit its interior today.

Dolmabahçe Palace was not covered by our museum passes, so we purchased tickets of its main palace and harem. The visit of the Palace rooms was escorted by a tour guide, as the Palace was still in operation and served as Turkish president’s residence when he visited Istanbul. There were English tours and Turkish tours available at the main palace and harem.

Photography was not permitted in the palace rooms, so there won’t any photos of its interior available, expect of this giant chandelier, the photo of which I took, technically outside the palace rooms.
A brief summary of its interior. If Topkapi Palace was a random collection of kiosks and rooms that new emperors erect at will, where power was showcased through the space it occupied, the amount of servants it employed, Dolmabahçe Palace was like a carefully planned modern architecture, where power was displayed through the order and visual impression, through the amount of glittering gold employed and the complexity of its rooms.

Again, no photos in Harem Art Museum.

Then there’s the harem tour, which introduced us to the rooms where the king’s wives lived. Strictly speaking, photograph wasn’t allowed, but it seemed this rule was much less strictly enforced in the harem part, as most visitors in our group were discreetly taking photos with their cell phones.

After that, we were given a tour of Dolmabahçe Zoo, with turkeys and ducks and chicken running all over the place.

After that, we took the tram to our next stop, which was Sultan Ahmet Mosque.

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

Unfortunately by the time we reached Sultan Ahmet Mosque, it was prayer time, so we just took some photos of its magnificent exterior, and left.

Our next stop was Yerebatan Cistern, also known as Underground Water City in English. It used to be a reservoir for Topkapı Palace, now converted to a tourist attraction with illuminated columns reflected by waters.
Oh, Yerebatan Cistern was not affiliated to Turkish Minister of Culture, so it didn’t accept museum passes.

Yerebatan Cistern

The flat railings in Yerebatan Cistern allowed me to place my camera, which resulted in these stunning photos.

After Yerebatan Cistern, our next stop was Istanbul Archeology Museum by Topkapı Palace, which was covered by our museum passes.

Istanbul Archeology Museum

Istanbul Archeology Museum consisted of several pavilions, with lots of exhibits. We stayed about two hours in the museum, and only covered part of the exhibit.

After Istanbul Archeology Museum, we walked towards the dock of Emınönü.

Sirkeci Railway Station

On the way, we passed Sirkeci Railway Station, which was the station where the infamous Orient Express departed.

Yeni Mosque

Our last stop of the day was Yeni Mosque, also known as the New Mosque (although it wasn’t new in today’s standard). It was prayer time by the time we arrived, so we just took photos of its exterior.

After that, we planned to take the ferry boat on Golden Horn to Eyüp. But because there were so many docks in Eminönü (and for a brief moment I brain didn’t properly function, as I was running around frantically instead of looking at the cruise lines in Google Maps), we missed the 6pm ferry that we planned to take. So instead, we headed for a nearby KFC and finished our dinner.

Before I end, I shall say Burger King and McDonald’s were much better in Turkey than KFC.
END

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