Cistern & Taksim

Basilica Cistern

Yerebatan Sarnici or Basilica Cistern is a short walk from our hotel.We had seen the queues before and noted that there is an online queue which is often without anyone.So we booked last night and made our way there after 0900.

We breezed straight through and down the steps into the cistern straight away.But the normal queue, probably wouldn’t have taken long as it was fast-moving.

The cistern now consists of a water-filled floor (with grates for visitors to walk on), amidst arched columns.The site is illuminated with changing colours but unlike my first visit thirty years ago, there was no classical music to add to the atmosphere.

It’s amazing that something around 1500 years old is still standing but I noticed a few ugly columns that are very different with no ornamentation.I’m guessing they are modern ones just to keep the place intact.

In the Basilica Cistern.

Taksim

We moved to the opposite side of the Golden Horn, Taksim, the first time for Ming.We went by tram and connected to the Tunel funicular.

We took a long walk on Istiklal Street (a pedestrian mall), stopping at St Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church before continuing to Istiklal Square.The area has been decorated with the Turkish flag everywhere, as Republic Day was in two days time.

At the square, there was a corner with several doner shops in a row.One was being set-up for lunchtime with three men hoisting a chicken doner into position with a pulley.I asked and was told that it weighs about 150kg.

On our walk back, we stopped at Decathlon where I made some purchases.I feel deprived in New Zealand with similar items at several times the price, so I always buy when I can in Europe or Malaysia.

We took lunch of a doner and a baked potato.The latter was baked then the inside mashed with a knife and butter, before unlimited toppings of one’s choice were added.It was pricey at TRY100 or NZD10 but it made a nice change from more meaty meals.

I’ve been coming to Istanbul for thirty years and had never been up Galata Tower.I was meant to change that but when we saw the queue for the ticket and a separate queue for the entry, we decided it wouldn’t be worth it.The view can’t be much different from what we have seen from the waterfront.

I took Ming to Dolmabahce Palace by tram.As I had visited only three years ago, I left her to it and returned to my room for a rest around 1430.This is the shortest day I’ve had in Istanbul so far.