Leaving this Wed. for a cruise around the Black Sea via Istanbul. Most of our time is allotted for by prearranged land “excursions” and sailing between ports (all of which sound fascinating), but we will have free time in the following locations:
“Explore Istanbul (Turkey) on your own tonight.” What/where for dinner, and?
At Trabazon,Georgia (after visiting Sumela Monastery): “Wander ancient bazaar or visit 13-century Hagia Sophia church.” Ideas?
At Feodosiya, Ukraine (after visiting Geonese Fortress or Sights of Feodosia): “Evening at leisure at Feodosia.” What to do?
At Sevastapol: “Afternoon at leisure to explore on your own.” ???
At Odessa: “Morning at leisure to explore on your own.” Again, ???
Any and all suggestions eagerly awaited! Many thanks.
I was there in the early 90s, so my knowledge is based on that, but there are a lot of cool things to see in Istanbul. The Grand Bazaar and the bridges are two things that I can think of in particular. Find a nice cafe and have some doner kebab and an Efes.
Istanbul is a great city, but pretty huge. Where are you entering the city? There are a lot of little rooftop places with great views of the city, most them have just okay food, but the beer is cold and the skyline is amazing.
If you have time in Instanbul, the Princes’ Islands are amazing, they are reachable via ferry. If you just have a small amount of time, walking around Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque and surrounding neighborhoods is lovely.
Trabzon is in Turkey. You’ll probably dock at Batumi in Georgia. The two cities are 3 hours away by car. I used to live in Tbilisi, Georgia… but it is at least 6 hours by road from Batumi so you likely won’t get to Tbilisi… too bad as Tbilisi is a wonderful city.
Flying via Boston to Frankfurt to Istanbul on Lufthansa.
Cruise is called “Black Sea Odyssey” (found via a university association) on the MV Aegean Odyssey / former ferryboat :eek:
In Istan, are staying in … a “very central location” … Marti hotel. Looks very spiffy.
We won’t be able to walk around a whole lot … spouse is a bit leg-challenged.
Preferred choices are for very old historic (multi-cultural / religious) sites vs. excellent food vs. shopping along the entire circumfrence of the Black Sea area.
OTOH, I like jewellry & take-home spices … and botany.
The Istanbul history checklist includes the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Spice Market, Topkapi Palace and many, many more. I would check with your hotel for a reputable tour guide, there can be a lot of huslters out there who offer to give you tours, but that aren’t very good.
My wife and I really like the Topkapi Palace tour we booked through Context Travel www.contexttravel.com. All their docents are academics and give a very good tour. It was a walking tour, but they might offer different types of tours, check their page for Istanbul tours.
You can’t through a dart in Istanbul without hitting a historic site, so you might be well served to do a little research before you go to pick your must see sites. Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are near each other, but the Spice Market isn’t terribly close to those two. Have a great trip.
Atomic Mama - This is the text of a post I made to Indian when he was going to Istanbul. My sister used to live and tour-guide in Istanbul. I’ll ask her about the other places tonight.
Oooh, I loved Istanbul! Most of the main sites have been mentioned- Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace. Only one I can think of that hasn’t been mentioned yet that was really cool was the Basilica Cistern. It is a huge underground cistern with ornately carved columns, that used to supply water to Constantinople. And right near it was a stone pillar that was used as a marker for measuring the distance to cities in the Byzantine Empire in the Constantinople days. Nothing showy, but I thought the story behind it was interesting. Also, a Bosphorus cruise, and of course just sitting in local cafes enjoying the food and relaxing. Have some kebabs, and turkish pizza (lahmacun), and turkish coffee (very strong). Istanbul wasn’t too hard to get around by taxi and public transportation, but a guide is nice too. Have fun, it is a beautiful city!!
I loved my short time in Istanbul. The Spice Bazaar is not as overwhelming as the Grand Bazaar, easier on the legs of your husband, and the sights and smells are heaven. The Rustem Pasha Mosque is nearby, gorgeous gorgeous tiles, and not nearly as crowded as the Blue Mosque. Also thoroughly enjoyed the Archeological Museum – they have several of the lions from the Ishtar Gate, from Babylon. Enjoyed all the food I had, in all the restaurants we picked by saying “This looks good – let’s try it!” Buy roasted pistachios! They are smaller and more flavorful than US pistachios. Heaven. Mezze platters, and fish are good. Skip buying roasted corn on the cob from the street vendors. In my experience, it’s not freshly picked, and overcooked. Turkish coffee at an outdoor cafe, with street cats coming to be petted was another treat.
