As we left our hotel this morning, the owner of the carpet shop next door asked us to go and see his kilims and carpets. Visitor numbers to Turkey have dropped by 40% so shop keepers are desperate to sell to the people who do visit. Tommy asked how much a kilim (about 80cm by 60cm) and the guy said £200, roughly ten times more than Tommy expected! There are many more carpet shops than buyers, all I have bought is a belt and a fridge magnet!
Topkapi Palace is only a half a mile from the hotel, close to Aya Sofia, and was the centre of power of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. It’s a collection of buildings surrounded by a wall that was occupied by up to 10,000 people at a time. That included the Sultan, his extended family, the civil service, the eunochs and many other staff. Up to 1300 people worked in the kitchen!
There are many buildings, but hardly any furniture apart from big beds. Most surfaces are covered in beautiful tiles or inlay made from coloured stone and mother of pearl. The styles are a mix of traditional Turkish, rococo and baroque, sometimes in the same room.
Large parts of the palace are being restored, so there are lots of hoardings closing off areas with banging going on behind.
The gardens are fragrant with roses, and there are wonderful views over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.
After Topkapi we went back to Sarnic to put our feet up for a while. Afterwards we walked round the lovely Gulhane Park, which was a garden of Topkapi until 1912.
Using a combination of the Lonely Planet guide and Google Maps we found the Lokum Cafe and had a big fat Efes beer. Walking through back streets we came across the Incir Limon cafe and ate delicious chicken kebabs with a mixed meze and beer, it was the perfect Turkish meal.
Everyone has been so polite and friendly here, the Turks are lovely people!
timharnesstravels 