Writing for Fun
April 2023
Istanbul 1976 - Lynn Gale
The long coach journey from Athens to Istanbul was not helped by going through passport control twice. We alighted at the Greek border, while bags and passports were checked, then boarded the coach again to drive the short distance to the Turkish border; once again, bags and passports were scrutinised and stern-faced armed soldiers watched our every move. Finally, at around two in the morning, we arrived in Istanbul with nowhere booked; our driver recommended a hotel run by his friend. We only stayed one night as it was run-down in the middle of an insalubrious area.
We found a cheaper, cleaner hotel near Beyoglu train Station the next day. After settling in, we went off to explore Istanbul. First, we sought out the famous Pudding Shop, a nickname given to it due to the many puddings they served. Pre Midnight Express, it was a lively, bustling restaurant with cheap reasonable food and a small garden. One wall was covered with handwritten notes by travellers looking for companions on their way to Asia, and romantic messages to lost loves.
On the first evening, we found ourselves completely lost. As we wandered around the city’s backstreets to find our hotel, the call to prayers began, a haunting melodic sound filling the night sky – one of the lasting memories I have of Istanbul. We were eventually directed back to our hotel using a crude train drawing.
The next day, a ferry trip down the Bosphorus, the strait that separated Turkey’s European and Asian sides. We were enjoying the views when the heavens opened, and we spent the rest of the time huddled inside, chatting to young Turkish conscripts while the rain lashed against the windows.
Before returning to the hotel, we tried the fish caught straight from the Bosphorus and cooked in open braziers. Served in thick bread, it was delicious and warming.
The Turkish people were amicable, and delicious sweet Turkish tea was offered wherever we went; I have never quite tasted anything like it since.
A visit to the Blue Mosque next and, after deciding to walk, we headed off in what we thought was the right direction. A Turkish officer stopped us as we were heading towards a controlled zone. He offered us a lift in a jeep. We found it hilarious that we got saluted every time we passed soldiers on the way. Our officer dropped us near Sultanahmet Square. The tourists and locals alike, watched with amusement as we climbed out of a military jeep.
We tagged onto a tour group visiting the Blue Mosque with an English-speaking guide. It came as a surprise to find out it was not blue. The blue comes from the 20,000 Blue tiles used to decorate the inside, an impressive sight. Famous for its six minarets, allegedly from a misunderstanding between Sultan Ahmet and his architect. The Sultan had asked for gold (altin), not six (alti) minarets. To avoid controversy, he had to send his architect to add a seventh minaret to the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, the holiest in the world.
Then a visit to the Grand Bazaar, crammed with thousands of small shops. The vivid colours of the silks and the smell of the spices in the air, along with a vast jewellery section, were out of this world. The bracelet with the bluestone gem that I so wanted but could not afford; disappointed, I had to leave it behind.
There was so much to see in Istanbul; we also visited Topaki Palace, Taxim Square and the Zoo before having to say goodbye to new friends made on our travels as we headed off in different directions.