Precious Memories: Topkapi Palace and Spice Bazaar

Sultanahmat District Part II

cont. Day 3, November 14, 2013 (Thursday)

After lunch we came back to the Saltanahmat area and continue our tour of the Topkapi Palace. Topkapı Palace was the main residence of the sultan and his court. It was initially the seat of governments as well as the imperial residence. With the limited time, we only went through a few of the many buildings in the palace and unfortunately we did not get to see the Harem.

Front gate that leads into the palace.

Fountain outside of the front gate. I didn't notice the man on the left who seemed to be interesting.

Little Hagia Sophia Mosque inside the palace grounds, one of the oldest standing churches in Istanbul dating back to 6th century.

Entrance to the palace

Probably the end of a meeting.

one of the many buildings

Many relics and precious jewelry were on display at the museum. It was not easy to check out everything though because of the crowds moving slowly in front of each display. Probably because we were tired by then, I was not as impressed as I should. After a couple of rooms, we just found a place to sit and rested.

A beautiful view of the Golden Horn from the parlour of the palace.

Last glimpse of the Hagia Sophia before leaving the area.

On our way to the Spice Bazaar we passed by the water front.

Ferries taking people across the harbour.

Galata Bridge

getting close to Spice Bazaar

The New Mosque outside of Spice Bazaar.

Outside of Spice Bazaar

Ahmit told us that the Grand Bazaar is very touristy and crowded. The Spice Bazaar is where locals shop.

Entrance to the Bazaar

Stores inside the Spice Bazaar

Spices, tea, and Turkish Delights

Turkish doner

My goal at the Spice Bazaar was to find the Turkish coffee cups that we were looking for when we were in Alanya last year. When we were having lunch at a restaurant in Alanya, we were all intrigued by the beautiful coffee cups and the owner told us that he got the cups in Istanbul. With Christian guiding us, we quickly went from the entrance of the L shape Spice Bazaar to the back exit into the open-area. The first store I saw right across from the exit was a store filled with coffee cups. The price for a set of coffee cups with 6 sets of cups and plates, coffee pot, and a tray was 55 lira. I didn't need the whole set so I bargained for just 4 sets of cups and plates from 8 lira each to 5 lira. Ended up paying $2.50 per set for a total of $10 USD. A good enough price for me even though it may still be a little higher than their normal prices. These cups were made of beatifully ornated zinc with a ceramic cup inside.

and here is where I got my beautiful coffee cups

I think the shops outside the bazaar have better prices than the ones inside.

A fish market outside the bazaar.

After Spice Bazaar we still had time before dinner, so our guide took us across the bridge to the Asia side of Istanbul. On the way, there's KFC, Pizza Hut, and Burger King all next to each other.

That's the bridge connecting the European and Asian ends of Istanbul.

on the bridge

After crossing back to the European side, we went to dinner at this Kebap House in the newer part of the city where the high end hotels are. This was probably one of the better meals that we had on this trip, a fixed menu meal.