Heidi and Lee spent a fascinating five hours on our first full day in Istanbul roaming through the Topkapi Palace, home to Ottoman Sultans since 1478. First chore, however, was obtaining the needed entrance tickets. That took an hour, again due to the crowds who have all gotten the word that Istanbul is THE city to visit in 2014.
Nonetheless, once inside the palace complex, we found lots to occupy our senses, particularly our eyes. So much intricate detail to observe! So many colorful tiles to see! So many diverse structures to wander through! According to the brouchure accompanying our audio guides, the harem alone had 300 rooms, nine Turkish baths, two mosques and even a hospital within its private precincts.
Here is a set of collages illustrating aspect of the palace architecture, the exquisite tile work found everywhere, several of the decorated domes overhead, and a few of the more fanciful windows and doors encountered on our visit.
Other highlights: great food all day long, including a hearty beakfast at Turkish Kitchen near the Topkapi, a pleasant lunchtime chat with a Dutch couple from Leiden, and a ferry boat ride across to Kayakoy on the Asian side of the city for dinner,
Nonetheless, once inside the palace complex, we found lots to occupy our senses, particularly our eyes. So much intricate detail to observe! So many colorful tiles to see! So many diverse structures to wander through! According to the brouchure accompanying our audio guides, the harem alone had 300 rooms, nine Turkish baths, two mosques and even a hospital within its private precincts.
Here is a set of collages illustrating aspect of the palace architecture, the exquisite tile work found everywhere, several of the decorated domes overhead, and a few of the more fanciful windows and doors encountered on our visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment