Our last full day in Turkey (sniffle) began on our hotel's terrace with a breakfast buffet. I knew from the attention of detail paid to other aspects of the hotel that the breakfast would be great, and I was not disappointed. I tried almost all of their sweet offerings because they looked so good. The heart-shaped cookie, which Mohamed said was in honor of the Bayram holiday, was spectacular: lightly sweetened with crispy halves encasing a dark filling, the confection was surprisingly delicious for a cookie (which is not my favorite baked good).
Mohamed decided to take us to the Dolmabahce palace that was finished in 1856 and occupied by the last 7
rulers, including Attaturk (the first president of Turkey). I will say that I'm hard to impress at this point -- I've seen some of the most beautiful buildings in the world, and I have a very particular aesthetic. But I was definitely, absolutely wowed. Just one chandelier alone weighed 9,000 pounds and cost six month's worth of a Prime Minister's salary. Real gold leaf glimmered from ceilings, walls, and other decorations. The silk carpets were enormously long and wide, with uniquely memorable patterns woven throughout. Unfortunately, self-guided visits and pictures are not allowed in the Sultan's palace and harem, so the previously mentioned opulence will have to exist in library reference material and in my memory. In all, we visited the Sultan's palace, harem, paintings
museum, and crystal pavilion -- although most of the rooms were closed to viewing, it was definitely an all-day activity.
We went to a late lunch at Karakoy restaurant, which was
recommended by Alp. We ordered the stuffed mussels, fried calamari, and stuffed eggplant for our appetizers. They were divinely spiced and cooked to perfect levels of texture and flavor. I ordered the veal cheek because I didn't think I'd be able to easily find it in the U.S., and I was mortified when I accidentally splashed the diner next to us with my
mashed potato with horseradish (the knife slipped). Mohamed ordered a fish that was a bit too fishy for me, despite the lemon he squeezed on. He was pleased with his entree, though, so all was well.
Full of good food, we walked the looong way back towards our hotel. Mohamed wanted to stop by Suleiman the
Magnificent's mosque, and I knew that we needed to hurry because it was getting late in the day. We passed by people fishing on the Galata bridge, which spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, and a very busy square with waterside cafes selling grilled sardines and other fresh seafood.
After Mohamed's Turkish coffee, which was served in a charming cup and
saucer with a square of Turkish delight on the side, we walked towards
the exit. I saw a flash of colorful feathers in the distance, and I
instantly perked up even though I was hungry from seeing the sights and
skipping lunch. The cobalt blue of peacocks beckoned to me, and I had
to take some pictures even though peacocks are not unfamiliar to me. Then Mohamed called me from the other side of the aviary, and I saw the most outrageously colorful and flamboyantly beautiful bird I have ever seen with my own eyes. Mohamed said
it was a Chinese pheasant, and I instantly thought to myself, "I want a
costume like that." Animals, especially fidgety birds, are difficult to photograph in the exact alignment that you want, so I must have taken more than 30 shots before I was satisfied because I wanted all of his feathers in my frame. I finally got my picture, and you can bet I'll send it to the designer for my next costume!
Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the mosque, it was closed. We were able to walk the circumference and admire the exterior, though. Understandably tired from our long trek, we decided to pay 8 Lira to take the metro back to the hotel (especially because it was starting to rain). We
discovered 4 stories underground that that was the tram station, not the Metro that we needed, so we had to exit
the same way we entered (no refunds) and walk all the way back to the hotel. I was not particularly excited about this turn of events, but I couldn't really complain because it was our first time getting lost in the entire trip!
