This-and-That to Wrap Up the Day

Friday — April 23: Part III

Before our visit to Kariye Müzesi, we made a quick stop at Pierre Loti, a hillside overlook that offers extensive views of Eyüp and Haliç, (Golden Horn).  Pierre Loti was the pseudonym under which Julien Viaud, a French naval officer, wrote novels.  It’s said that he used to come to this hilltop to contemplate the city he had come to love.

Left: Portrait of Julien Viaud, aka Pierre Loti.
Right: Painting of Loti by Henri Rousseau.
(both images are from Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, Loti’s once quiet hilltop, which might have invited contemplation and offered inspiration at one time, is no more.  Instead, we found a madhouse of vendor stalls filled with tourist gewgaws and café tables jammed together with barely any room to walk about.  That was disappointing; but the view from the overlook was not.

Panorama from the overlook at Pierre Loti.

An “Erin was at Pierre Loti” photo op.

This kahvehane (coffee house) was once the only one on the hill.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

After leaving Kariye Müzesi, the sunny afternoon invited us to find a table at Pembe Köşk (Pink Cottage), a café/restaurant across the street from the museum.  As we enjoyed cold, refreshing drinks, our conversation centered on the amazing frescoes and mosaics we’d just seen.  It was quiet at the café until the tour group that had entered the museum after us showed up.  Time to move on, but not before taking a look at some colorful street art being sold nearby.

Street paintings by M. Sait Varlık.
(near Kariye Müzesi)

It was still relatively early in the afternoon when we returned to the hotel.  Some in our party decided to take an afternoon nap; Aylin, Hakan, and I waded into the stream of humanity filling İstiklal Caddesi and walked to Taksim to get schedule information for Hakan’s return bus trip to Ankara.  Along the way, we took in the sights, including the Saint Antoine Church.

A mass of humanity fills İstiklal Caddesi on a Friday afternoon.

By contrast — this is what İstiklal Caddesi looked like early this morning.

Left: The Saint Antoine Church has been in service since 1912.
Right: Statue dedicated to Pope John XXIII, Friend of the Turkish People.

Detail from the interior of the church.

  Some say that candles represent Jesus as the light of the world.

Opened in 1876, Çiçek Pasajı (formerly Cité de Péra) is often described
as a miniature version of the famous Galleria in Milan, Italy.

Left: The eateries inside Çiçek Pasajı offer a taste of Turkish cuisine.
Right: Gözleme anyone?
(gözleme is hand-rolled flat lavas bread cooked on a grill)

Colorful and quirky window displays designed to catch the eyes of shoppers.

On the way back from Taksim Square, we caught the historic tram back to our hotel.  Pulled by horses when they first came into service in 1869, the trams were converted to electric power in 1914.  They were taken out of service in 1961, but a single line, running the length of İstiklal Caddesi, was put back in operation in 1990.  Today, this tram line carries 15,000 people daily.

Our day came to a close with a great meal and a spectacular view of the Bosphorus.  And we didn’t have to travel far for either as our dinner reservations were at Leb-i-Derya, located on the sixth floor of our hotel.  The restaurant’s name means “lip of the sea.”  Just take a look at the following images (scanned from the Richmond Hotel brochure); need I say more?

P.S. The table at far left of the first image is where we dined. Nice location, huh?

Now’s when I fess up and tell you that I was really bad about taking notes on this trip.  So, finalizing this post several weeks later (had to wait to add photos, you know), I have no idea what we ate … but I do know that it was good. Since I can't tell you what was on the menu, I'll leave you with a few images that I did remember to take.

Hakan's taking a picture of ...

... the sunset view of Saray Burnu (Seraglio Point).

Next Up: A Day in the Islands — Getting There