Christmas in Istanbul!

December 2022

Greetings dear readers. In December we decided to spend Christmas week in Istanbul, a place that holds very fond memories for us, from a visit in 2015. Turkish Air offers a nonstop flight from Malaga to Istanbul (€350 each.) We have always enjoyed being on the road during the holidays, and even though Malaga is very special at Christmas time, it feels deliciously subversive to be someplace where there is virtually no evidence of Christmas.

Istanbul has a newish airport (new to us anyway) and it is a gorgeous, soaring palace with all the excitement you would expect from a busy Asian travel hub. I have never minded spending time in airports, mainly for all the quality people-watching, and these massive modern airports like Istanbul, Madrid and Beijing are thrilling, if sometimes hard to negotiate on a tight time schedule. After a one hour taxi ride we checked in at The Orientbank Hotel, a boutique hotel located in what was once the Deutsche Orient Bank of Istanbul in the Eminönü neighborhood, not far from the Galata Bridge and Egyptian Spice Market. We had views not only of the Bosphorus, but just as good, the local pigeon man on the roof of the old building across the street.

In order of importance: The breakfast at the hotel was incredible. On offer was a choice of an “American Breakfast” (yogurt and granola, boring), an “English Breakfast” (fat chance) or the “Turkish Breakfast” which turned out to be an exotic parade of small bowls of olives, pickles, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, tabouli, humus, baba ganoush, fresh honey with cream, falafel, sliced cheese and ham, eggs, bread, pita, and bagels. Oh, and coffee.

And after that fortification, we wandered around rubbernecking until we made it over to the Sultanahmet District, home of the most famous of the historic sites like Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace. Since our last visit this whole area has been corralled into a huge open park space with heavy security (there was a terrorist bombing in the northern part of the city last month, November 2022 so there was lots of visible security everywhere.) On our previous visit we spent a lot of time at the splendid Topkapi Palace so we decided to skip it this time.

The star of the show in Istanbul is Hagia Sophia. It was first built as a Greek Orthodox Church in 350 AD but it has gone through so many changes and additions over the centuries that it makes Malaga’s history back to the Phoenicians seem paltry in comparison. The current structure was started in the 6th century and it became a mosque after the conquest of the Ottomans, then a museum and, in 2020, it became a mosque again, although it is still open for visitors during non-prayer times. All that riveting history aside, the inside of the building is just breathtaking. It is a huge open area, the ornate dome stretching miles above your head, with car-sized chandeliers hanging almost within reach. Where the grandest European cathedrals also soar above you, it is possible to see the support structure at work with their beautiful interior Gothic arches. Here the vast dome seems to float so far overhead that it is almost inconceivable that such a thing is possible. And it barely was. On completion in the 6th century it was the world’s largest interior space. On our previous trip it was possible to go up to the 2nd level to view the preserved Christian mosaics, but it’s closed now to tourists. Since it is now a house of prayer, the old stone floors are covered by a green carpet and everyone has to take off their shoes before entering so unpack your clean socks that day. And go early. Admission is free but the line gets very long.

My memories of visiting the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market were of endless dark arcades, where the salesmen grab at you if you make eye contact, or entice you in for a cup of tea in order to sell a carpet, but things seemed more tranquil now. Everyone was quite friendly but there was no sales pressure, actually a bit of a disappointment. I missed the thrill of peril.

We took a ferry ride (25 cents!) from the Eminönü pier across the Bosphorus to the neighborhood of Kadiköy, bustling and full of locals. Above the port area are streets and streets of markets and restaurants. Çiya serves really delicious home-style Turkish dishes. After the ferry ride back to our neighborhood we walked along the Galata Bridge to watch the hundreds of fishermen catching sardines. The water here in the 1980’s was foul but a serious effort was made to clean it up and by 2012 it was considered safe, so the fishermen returned.

We wandered miles every day, stopping at favorites spots for a glass of wine, and got lost in the dark old streets inhabited by cats in between visits to the famous sites. Istanbul is the largest city on the European continent, at 15 million, and there are people absolutely everywhere but we felt no sense of danger or aggression, even when caught up in the tight crowds around the piers and markets. No shoving, no harsh words.

On our day of departure, our ride to the airport turned out to be a limo done up like a harem inside, with flashing lights and a Persian carpet underfoot. Easy flight back to Malaga and home in time for our cherished New Year’s Eve tradition: in bed by 10pm and early brunch at the Hotel Miramar.

Next up, a road trip to historic Cadiz, on the Atlantic coast!