Tickets to Plovdiv and Topkapi Palace

Having got our bearings slightly more, we decided to try and buy our tickets to Plovdiv on Wednesday morning. The station is, as everywhere, almost exclusively male, so again we looked just a bit conspicuous. We think we have the right tickets, even though Lonely Planet seems to think the train doesn't run on Sundays...

We decided to spend the day in Topkapi Palace, the palace of the Sultans built by Mehmet the Conqueror after the fall of Constantinople. It takes over a hill on the coner of Sultanahmet, with amazing views (when not drizzing) over the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We spent the whole day wandering through the various different courtyards. The first as you enter is called the Court of the Janissaries (Janissaries were the personal soldiers of the Sultan) and in Ottoman times this area was the least restricted of the palace. There's a rather beautiful little fountain in the corner with a rather grim story; it's where the imperial executioner used to wash his tools. The heads of the people who had upset the Sultan were put up on a spike above the entrance to the Second Courtyard. Only the Sultan and the valide sultan (his mother) were allowed through the gate on horseback, everyone else had to dismount. This sets the tone for the sort of pomp and circumstance of the rest of the Palace.

Ironically enough, through the drizzle, up in the fir trees we saw some green parrots, much like you would and do see pigeons around the rest of the city. The most impressive feature of the this second courtyard is the Imperial Council Chamber, where matters of state were discussed with the Sultan 'eavesdropping' behind a gold grate. It's nothing if not noticeable, so I highly doubt that any of the various deposings of sultans was planned here. In the area which used to be the stables, there is a display about Selim III 1789-1807, a sultan who tried to introduce many political and social reforms. He was eventually deposed, partly due to not being able to choose a side and stick to it in the Napoleonic wars.

The Gate of Felicity leads you to the Third Courtyard, the domain of the Sultan, where very few people were allowed, apparently to keep a mystique surrounding the ruler. There's an Audience Chamber where the Sultan would sit whilst white eunuchs would ensure the visitor showed the correct amount of respect, bowing/grovelling etc. Apparently even if the Sultan and the visitor could speak in the same language, all conversation would nevertheless go through the Grand Vizier. Around the rest of the courtyard are collections of grand robes and the imperial treasury. The treasury includes countless emeralds and rubies and the Spoonmaker's Diamond; an 86 carat diamond, the fifth largest in the world, which was originally bought for just three spoons. By far the most important for Muslims are the Sacred Safekeeping rooms with various relics from the Prophet's life, including his beard.

The Fourth Court is the one that looks directly over the Bosphorus and is full of beautifully tiled buildings, generally used for medical purposes. The view in good weather must be lovely, although it was absolutely freezing when we were there. Although allegedly the Harem is supposed to be the most splendid rooms in the Palace, Lucy and I felt a bit conned, as the rooms are all empty and the lighting is so poor that you can't really see. The rest of the Palalce is well worth seeing though. We sat and had one of our 'moments' eating our picnic lunch in the Second Courtyard.

We spent the late afternoon in two local art courtyards, where you can watch local artists at work and where you aren't hassled and you get free tea. I'd love to come back to do a course here. Dinner was a delicious Turkish Pancake called gozelme, filled with spinach and potato cooked right in front of us. We spent the rest of the evening drinking Turkish wine with two of our roomates and eating dark chocolate, a very decadent end to a lovely day.