Day 32
The Old Walls of Constantinople
Friday, September 20, 2024
Merhaba,
In the middle of the night, poor Grandma woke up with a very upset tummy. Grandma's tummy is notoriously delicate and she is always meticulous about what she eats, especially when travelling. Analysing the situation, she thought it may have been her salad for lunch at the Grand Bazaar, perhaps not washed in clean water. So this morning Grandma was tucked up in bed with an upset tummy, not daring to venture too far from the bathroom.
Thus it was Koro and Buzzy Bee off for an adventure by themselves. Unsupervised by Grandma! The two boys alone in Istanbul!
Koro and Buzzy Bee decided they would stray a bit further and attempt to walk the length of the Walls of Constantinople.
The Walls of Constantinople were built in the fifth century. They were one of the most complex fortification systems ever built, saving the city many times from attacking armies.
Depending on the source you read, they are somewhere between 5.5 and 7 kilometres long. The walls run overland from the shores of the Sea of Marmara in the South to the Golden Horn in the North.
Koro and Buzzy Bee studied Google Maps, and decided to start their walk at the Marble Tower, at the Southern end of the walls. From our hotel in Galata, we took the T1 tram to Sırkecı. At Sırkecı we walked to the train station and took the train to Kazlıçeşme station. Exiting the station, we crossed a couple of busy streets, and there we were, staring at the once formidable Walls of Constantinople.
The Marble Tower still stands, just. It has seen better days. In its heyday it must have been impressive, rising up out of the sea. From the edge of the sea to as far as the eye could see, all a traveller in the sixth sentury would have seen would have been a huge wall, and nothing beyond.
We started following the walls Northward.
Sometimes we walked on the inside (the Eastern, city side) of the walls, and sometimes on the outside of the walls. The first stretch took us through the middle suburbs of Istanbul, between the old and the new. They were mostly quiet neighbourhoods of older houses. Some of the roads were narrow and without footpaths, some through industrial land.
It wasn't long until we came to a magnificent fortress, Yedikule Hisarı. Buzzy Bee and Koro could not believe their luck. There was hardly anyone here! And yet the fortress was in magnificent condition. It is currently under restoration, so will likely become a bit more health and safety conscious. For example, there are currently no handrails on the stair cases that lead up to the walkways at the top of the walls. Which is exactly as they would have been when then were built.
It only cost ₺250 for an entry ticket which included a detailed map of the fortress. The highlight was seeing the Golden Gate, once the most important entry point to Constantinople. Entering the Golden Gate led directly to the Mese, the main street of the ancient city at the centre of the world.
On either side of the Golden Gate are two enormous, square towers made of stone. We entered the left-hand tower and climbed, and climbed and climbed through narrow stone staircases. We finally arrived at the top of the tower and were rewarded with one of the best views of Istanbul. We could see both the old and the new city. We could see dozens of ships queueing in the Sea of Marmara, each awaiting their turn to enter the Bosphorus. In ancient times the soldiers standing sentry on the towers would have had a commanding view of the terrain surrounding the city.
We spent a while at the fortress, enjoyed a drink at the café, then kept walking. We were inside the walls at this point, and walking through local neighbourhoods. We certainly did not see any other tourists! It was nice to see the real part of Istanbul.
In various places, the walls are nothing more than crumbling ruins. Fences have been half-heartedly erected around the ruins to stop people from climbing over them and to discourage vagrants from seeking shelter in the passages within the walls. The fences are regularly breached.
In other places, the walls are subject to restoration and look magnificent.
Originally there were three lines of walls. A moat was bordered by a lower wall, then there was a space to the middle wall, and finally there was the high wall. Only in a few places do all three walls remain. In one area, roughly at the halfway point, the space between the walls has been irrigated and is used to grow fruit and vegetables. We saw people tending to the crops, and a little further up the street a stall was selling vegetables grown within the walls.
It was a hot day, and Koro and Buzzy Bee had spent too long taking photos. We considered returning to the hotel but we wanted to finish what we had started. So we put the camera away and set off at a fast pace for the rest of the way. And we did it, we walked the entire length of the Walls of Constantinople. We were quite proud of ourselves. It took us about five hours to walk the entire length, including the time we spent at Yedikule Hisarı and the times we stopped to take pictures.
Koro and Buzzy Bee thoroughly enjoyed walking along the Walls of Constantinople. We were concerned about comments we'd read online about some of the neighbourhoods traversed by the walls being unsafe. However, at no time did we feel unsafe or concerned. We were glad to be away from the manic crowds and excessive tourism. We were glad to be off the beaten track. There were times when we were isolated, but we never felt unsafe.
Once we reached the end we thought we'd catch a bus to Galata. But the bus never seemed to stop for us. All the buses looked very full, so maybe there was no room for more passengers. After three buses had passed us by, we walked over the road and caught the T5 tram to Eminönü, then walked across Galata Bridge. This was much better.
We found Grandma looking bright but still not feeling like she should eat anything. Poor Grandma, we hope she feels better tomorrow.
We made sure that Grandma was comfortable with plenty of bottled water and a fresh pack of Imodium tablets. Buzzy Bee stayed behind to look after Grandma while Koro headed out for some dinner.
When she was in Istanbul, Deb's discovered a cute little Metro station just around the corner from our hotel. It is the second oldest underground railway in the world. It opened in 1874, the first underground railway to be built outside of Great Britain. It is an underground funicular, and it links Karaköy (where we are staying) with Beyoğlu, which is at the top of a steep hill.
Of course, the Instanbul Tünel is seamlessly linked into the public transport system. The Istanbulkart is like a magic key. As long as you have credit you can travel anywhere in the city on any form of transport, bus, ferry, tram, Metro, train. And it is so cheap. The entire public transport system in Istanbul is just a joy. It is fast, modern and pleasant to use.
Beyoğlu station drops you at the bottom of İstiklal Caddesi, which is, apparently, the street in Istanbul. Similar to Queen Street in Auckland or, um, Victoria Street in Cambridge. Similar. In relative terms.
The street was heaving with people and the upmarket shops were all open. We still have no idea what time the shops close, probably around midnight if not later.
There was a vintage tram at a stop, so Koro jumped on it, swiped his Istanbulkart, and rode all the way, very slowly through the throngs of pedestrians, to Taksim Meydanı, a huge public square that features a memorial to the founders of the Turkish Republic.
From there Koro flowed with the people downhill, back in the direction of Beyoğlu. Bars and restaurants filled the side streets with al fresco diners. Shops were brightly lit and open for business. It was an amazing atmosphere.
Finally, Koro managed to find a quiet-ish restaurant for a forgettable burger and half a litre of draft beer.
After dinner, as he was getting back to the hotel, the concierge told Koro that İstiklal Caddesi will party until the morning. "Istanbul never sleeps", he said. We think he is right. There is no such thing as "rush hour" in Istanbul - it is always rush hour!
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro & Buzzy Bee.