We always try to fly and arrive one day before a group tour begins in case anything goes wrong and this trip was no exception. If I told you we flew poor defunct TWA (they had the best frequent flyer plan of any airline), would that give you a clue how long ago this trip was? Not only that, but the group flight from America was on Pan Am! However, all information and sights in these articles are still relevant today. Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport (IST) is located 23 km/14 miles west of Sultanahmet Square and a taxi from the airport should only run about $20.00.

A taxi drove us to the Kariye Hotel, a small boutique hotel in Old Istanbul and located next to the Kariye Museum (formerly the Church of the Monastery of Chora). The Kariye Hotel is in a restored 19th century mansion on a hill above the Golden Horn and a 10-minute taxi ride to the Sultanahmet area. However, there are quite a few walks around the Kariye Hotel. One very interesting and don’t-miss-walk is the stone towers, ramparts and ditches. Emperor Theodosius II (408-450) enclosed the seven hills of the new Rome in the fifth century. Can you believe they were built in two months to protect the city from Attila the Hun?

ex-Marine at the Kariye Hotel, Istanbul 

the European side of the Bosphorus, Istanbul
ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I zonked out for a while before doing a little old and new exploring of Istanbul. Once we got our bearings, it wasn’t a bad walk to the Sultanahmet area along the waters of the Golden Horn where we caught a ferry over to the Dolmabahce Palace on the European (Beygolu) side. You can only take a guided tour and the Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Monday and Thursday. Magnificent doesn’t really describe it. How about fantabulous? The Dolmabahce Palace was home to six sultans and built between 1843-1856 with 285 rooms and is considered the grandest of the Ottoman Imperial Palaces…View image.

Dolmabahce Palace from the water, Istanbul
After the palace tour, we began walking up and down the small streets of the Beyoglu area that was covered with vineyards in the 16th century. Foreign ambassadors began living here and by the 19th century, Beyoglu was Istanbul’s “Little Europe.” Istiklal Caddessi divides Beyoglu in half and is now a 2km/1.2mi pedestrian street that leads from Taksim Square to Tunel Square. The Tunel Underground is one of the world’s oldest and shortest underground lines and we knew nothing about it then. Maybe next time…and I am also dying to see the “Whirling Dervishes.” The Galata Mevlevihane (dervish lodge) is located on this side and performs whirling dances on certain days of the month. I wonder if a person gets nauseous or dizzy watching them spin…and spin…and spin.

Back to the old city by walking across the Galata Bridge, a fun experience. TIP: Don’t be afraid to walk around Istanbul unless you are a lone woman. If so, you will be harassed, pinched and possibly patted down. Otherwise, the worst that can happen is every passerby will try to sell you something including the ever-popular fake Rolex. In the meanwhile, the Galata Bridge is filled with traffic, men fishing off the sides, ships and ferries pass underneath and the lower level of Galata has an abundance of touristy restaurants and cafes. Such fun…