İstanbul — Not Constantinople

Thursday — April 22: Part I

Remember the lyrics of the song, İstanbul, not Constantinople? They go like this:

İstanbul was Constantinople
Now it's İstanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in İstanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in İstanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

İstanbul … İstanbul

(the picture mosaic, courtesy of Wikipedia, features — TOP: skyline of Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque; CENTER: Beyoğlu; Galata Tower; Maiden’s Tower; BOTTOM: Bosphorus Bridge connecting Europe and Asia, with the skyline of Levent in the distance)

The lyrics don’t mean anything? Well, I’m sure the music will ring a bell. I’m sure there is at least one version of it on the web … should you care to search for it.

In any event, the song popped into my head while I was packing yesterday and it hasn’t stopped since. If anything, now that I’m in İstanbul, the city that straddles two continents, the melody is louder and faster than ever. That might not be a bad thing if the street noise becomes bothersome tonight!

I’ve got quite a bit to write about and the hour is already growing late, so here goes.

Our 8:30a AtlasJet flight meant an early start to our day. As it turns out, our departure from İzmir was delayed an hour, but the 45-minute flight was otherwise uneventful. The flight attendants even managed to serve a snack in the short time between take off and landing. I took the window seat, hoping to get some aerial shots of İstanbul, but it was for naught; the haze over the city was just too thick.

We’re told that heavy air traffic in İstanbul has delayed the arrival of our aircraft.
(the building on the far side is the international terminal at Adnan Menderes Airport)

An hour later, our aircraft is parked at the gate and ready for boarding.

Farewell İzmir …
(the domestic terminal at Adnan Menderes Airport)

… Hello İstanbul
(if you look really, really close, you’ll see a smidge of the Bosphorus in the distance)

Once we landed at Atatürk International Airport, we collected our bags, picked up the car Murat had rented, and headed into the city. The flight delay actually worked in our favor — there was hardly any traffic. On one side, medians planted with tulips in every imaginable color (‘tis the season); on the other side, the “Boğaz” (Bosphorus) with numerous cargo ships anchored, waiting their turn to dock; across the water, the familiar sights of the Asian side of the city veiled by haze. There was no doubt that we were in İstanbul.

By 11:00a, we were checking into the Richmond Hotel on İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu, a district that can be succinctly described as “shopping and nightlife central.” The crowds on the street were proof of the slogan “Beyoğlu, the heart of İstanbul; İstiklal Caddesi, the heart of Beyoğlu.” (By the way, cadde = street.)

The Richmond is conveniently located to most of the places we hope to visit.

Richmond Hotel — Lobby

Room 608 is free of any street noise filtering up from İstiklal Caddesi.

Room 608 — en suite facilities and the view from the room.
(a smidge of the Bosphorus is visible)

Room 608 — view over the rooftops to my left.
(note the Cathedral of St Anthony of Padua [aka St Antoine] at the left edge)

With the wondrous sights of İstanbul waiting to be explored, we dallied just long enough at the hotel to unpack. Then, we headed to Armada Restaurant, located next door to the hotel, to get a bite to eat. The cafeteria-style eatery specializes in “ev yemekleri” (home-style cooking). From the colorful display of foods in the window, we each ordered something different; none of us was disappointed.

Armada Restaurant — an excellent selection of tasty “ev yemekleri.”
(see if you can find mom in this picture)

The “köfte ve patates püresi” looks good, but …
(Turkish meatballs and mashed potatoes)

… I’m going to order the “karnıyarık.”
(literal translation is “slit belly”; fear not, the dish is actually eggplant stuffed with
a minced meat filling; here’s a recipe)

Our tummies sated, we set off to do some sightseeing.

Next Up: Shopping Anyone?