Postcards From Susan: BEYOGLU VISITS 1 & 2

Beyoglu is the area of Istanbul across the Golden Horn from the old city. It is where the "real" Istanbullus live and shop. The Dolmabace Palace, Galata Tower, Taksim Square and Istiklal Street are allo located there, within walking distance from rach other. So we took the city rail across the Horn and walked.

First stop, Dolambace Palace. This is the palace we saw on our cruise of the Bosporus, nearly a quarter-mile long. It was built when the sultans discovered Western European royal opulence. So it is large, ornate, luxurious, with splendid receiving halls and guest rooms. But it is still Ottoman -- one whole building is the harem, the private quarters of the sultan and his wives and concubines, with the huge dining room for the intimate dinners for the nuclear family of 60 or more. No photos permitted of the interiors, so a look at the outside is all you get!

Ten swans a-swilling...

This is one of the formal gates when one arrives by water.

This is the formal gate we saw from the water, where dignitaries were supposed to arrive.

This dog did not look at all happy.

We wanted to visit the famous shopping street Istiklal, but to get there one must climb a steep hill. Solution: a one-stop metro that climbs the hill and runs back down again.

This is the broad avenue adjacent to Taksim Square where the Istanbul demonstrations took place, and may yet again. The tower in the center is a tribute to Ataturk, of course.

I'm not sure what we expected of Isttiklal Street but it was like any shopping street in any major city -- stores from Gap to Prada to Nike to Tiffany in a cosmopolitan but rather ordinary mix. Only one or two shops were interesting enough to go into.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was recommended by two guide books and the internet, and we were not disappointed. I tried maiti, which is a sort of cheese or meat-filled pasta in a rich sour-cream based sauce.

Tom had minced, spiced lamb with veggies.

They had marash, the orchid-based ice-cream, so of course, I had to have that...and forgot to take its picture until I was almost finished. You can see from the stringy tendrils that it is not the uusal consistency of ice cream.

Many of the restaurants have ladies making fresh bread for discerning diners.

This was the ice cream man, whose pots of ice cream were in a box window open to the street. They work the ince cream almost constantly with the paddle to keep it from seizing up.

Along the sidewalk of this chic, modern shopping street was a man selling roasted chestnuts, using a very old fashioned scale to weigh purchases.

As we turned away from Istiklal Street toward Galata Tower, the neighborhood became more residential with a college-town sort of feeling. So of course there are hamburgers and shakes. We were told this is a very popular chain.

It had been a long day, and getting wetter by the moment, so we decided to walk around the base of Galata Tower and leave a trip to the top for another visit.

We hurried down the hill and reached the rail station just as the rain began in earnest.

We had had the Istanbul Modern on our list as well, so another day we headed back over the Golden Horn to see it. irst, Tom was in need of another shoeshine.

Back to Eminonu, the stop for the train across the Horn.

Across the bridge to Beyoglu.

A walk form the station to the museum.

You could buy your terra cotta dishes and cookware here, but we were in a hurry.

Again with the no interior photos. But the museum has a very well-regarded restaurant facing the Bosporus with a terrific view "if there are no cruise ships." Some days as many as four gigantic cruise ships dock next to the museum, so we crossed our fingers. We were lucky -- only one, and it was parked well downstream from the museum. You can imagine what the restaruant is like when a ship is next door -- close enough to toss your dinner roll onto the deck.

So we enjoyed a lovely lunch. The only downside was the weather which started out brisk, but ended up very cold. Fellow diners carried their plates inside for warmer climes, but we stuck it out for the view.