Today I made my way across the Bosphorus to tour the local attractions. First on the list was the Tokapi Palace. It was closed until 1 pm because of Muslim holiday so I walked over to the Blue Mosque instead.
It was quite beautiful and ornate as most places of worship, but I didn't go in because the line was just too long and there was too much going on to spend an hour or two waiting in line. I took some nice photos of the outside garden and tiled ceilings along to path to the entrance. There was also a lovely park with a fountain in the middle of the nearby square, where I did a bit of people-watching.
Since the area was such a tourist destination, of course the salesmen were out in force hawking their goods to anyone who walked by. I quickly put on my "game face" and pretended I didn't speak English so they would leave me alone.
Another good tactic for avoiding the hard sell of the Turkish vendors was to duck into a cafe for more Turkish Coffee and a sweet treat:-) I used this several times throughout the day. The only danger in this was being asked out on dates by the waiters. I think I had 4 offers for 'coffee' in just one afternoon. It was flattering and the young 20-something waiters were quite charming, but this also became tiresome after awhile.
Later in the afternoon, I toured Sophia Mosque and the Tokapi Palace, both were amazing. I think they spent more money building a palace to please the Sultan than they did on their place of worship! The Palace was spectacular. Tons of beautiful marble and colorful Turkish tiles lined the floors and walls of each structure. And the wood doors and window sills were artfully inlaid with mother of pearl.
In the center of the Palace compound were two mini-palaces, one was the library and the other was the Sultan's bedroom. I suppose education and producing a male prince were at the top of all Sultans' "to do" lists!
I also visited the rather large Harem inside the compound. It was very beautiful, especially the entertainment room, where the Harem girls would dance for the Sultans in hopes of being selected as favorite. There was another apartment built within the Harem, which was for the "special one". This is where the most favored Harem girl would live until the Sultan tired of her and selected a new favorite. The apartment was certainly no Sultan's bedroom, but it was a step up from the regular apartments in the Harem.
Again, I'm glad to be a modern, western woman. Sitting around a Harem all day waiting to be chosen by some man I don't know for "love" making sounds repulsive and demeaning to me. And I can get a much better apartment all on my own!!
