Falling in Love with the Maiden's Tower

The Maiden's Tower or Leander's Tower at sunset.
(Copyright: Hakanirfan @ flickriver.com/photos/hakanirfan)

Just after sunset on the Bosphorus, the Maiden’s Tower glows with light that seems to radiate from the moon. Historically, the Maiden’s Tower was built as a lighthouse to guide Persian ships within the narrow Bosphorus straight. Yet the legends of this Tower come from both Turkish and Greek culture and tell stories of the power and force of love – whether love of a father for his daughter, or love of a man and maiden. Today, we can say that the Maiden’s Tower is a symbol of the hope and light of love, whether to unite societies or unite hearts.

Yes, the Maiden's Tower, or Kız Kulesi in Turkish, inspires romance.  Perhaps it is how the light sends a glimmering path across the water that beckons to travelers and commuters as they whisk by on a night ferry.  Or perhaps the legends enchant us and allow us to see the Maiden's Tower as something abnormal, more than just a simple lighthouse.

The view from the ferry as we passed the Maiden's Tower heading to the wrong neighborhood (by mistake)

 For me, I felt the pull of the Maiden's Tower before knowing the history behind the beacon of light.  Yet, on this past trip to Istanbul, I formed a deeper bond with this cultural monument as I experienced the romance up close and personal as we sat cuddling with blankets on the cushioned concrete steps just across from the Kız Kulesi.  After a warm meal of köfte, we headed out to walk along the water and find the perfect spot to sit and order a tea.  As it was near eight at night with chilling temperatures, there were many seats to choose from.  Although during warmer weather, the steps and tables are full of Istanbulites enjoying a bit of romance with their evening tea.

Not a bad place to have a glass of tea.

 We found a nice spot right across from the Tower and huddled in under the blankets.  Soon we had a hot tea to hold and warm our frosty fingers.  A gypsy woman and young girl passed by with roses in hand, but it seemed that they were done for the night, because we were not offered their wares for sale.  A pair of couples sat at a nearby table, chatting, drinking tea and smoking sweet tobacco in a water pipe.  We watched as the large, dark ships passed by behind the Tower and I wondered what they carried and to whom.

Keeping warm with hot tea and cozy blankets.

 Soon we had emptied our tea glasses and we realized that our time was running out to make it back to the last ferry that would take us to the European side of Istanbul.  So we unfolded from the warm blankets and said goodbye to the Maiden and walked with lighter steps, and warmer hearts and hands back to the ferry.

Romance at its finest - watching boats pass in the night and the city of Istanbul glow in the background.

To visit the Maiden's Tower up close, from the European side of Istanbul take a ferry to Üsküdar, a neighborhood on the Asian side of Istanbul.  From there, walk along the road until you reach the stretch of Bosphorus with outdoor seating in front of the Tower.  There are also many great restaurants in this area, making it a perfect place for a date! 

Getting acquainted with Istanbul

Istanbul and I are not quite friends - it's too early to say that.  We could be considered acquaintances, we've met each other a few times, we've hung out for a couple days.  Istanbul has shown me its best.  It's been hospitable and welcoming, but I've been very cautious while treading around the typical tourist haunts - realizing that this is not the "real" Istanbul that most of the city's inhabitants experience on a daily basis.  I know that Istanbul has many faces and I feel that I have only seen a few of them.

Perhaps I should let go of this scrutinizing nature, but that's me, and in this case, it's also serious business.  You see, I love to be a tourist, but I also question what is propped on display and sold to me for the price of an entrance ticket or pricey photo op.  In the tourism industry, nothing is ever quite what it seems.  Perhaps for this reason I am cautious of Istanbul.  Also, in the near future, Istanbul may be our future home (depending on job opportunities and the like), so I am seriously evaluating this city as a place where I may one day commute to work, grocery shop and, perhaps, raise a family. 

Can I envision living in Istanbul?  While taking a ferry down the Bosphorus, or while strolling down the tram line past nice restaurants and great shops - sure!  While sitting in rush hour traffic in a bus for over an hour, maybe or maybe not.

This was my second time in Istanbul, and it was much more revealing than the first.  While traveling on the bus for about an hour to get into the Sultanahmet area, I felt like I was traveling between two entirely different cities with different cityscapes.  We began in a city block no different from many other city blocks around Turkey - with high rise apartments and the various shops and grocers that occupy the street level.  However, we ended in an area with beautiful two to three story buildings, with the crust of history peaking in between cafes, shops and narrow lanes.  As in many big cities, neighborhoods have entirely different personalities and often there is a large distinction between one and another.  In Istanbul this is perhaps even more pronounced as layers of history are revealed as one travels closer to the water and especially near the Golden Horn. 

An example of a charismatic Istanbul street scene.  By the way, that beautiful building in the center of the photo is a büfe, or a stand selling snacks, cigarettes and other random items - not your typical convenience store.

So what did we do in Istanbul for the 3 short days before we left Turkey?

We enjoyed many stops for simit and cay, and various small treats.  We stopped into shops, looked at books and shopped for gifts to bring home.  We checked out Medusa and enjoyed the subdued atmosphere in the Basilica Cistern.  While also noting one of tourism's silly cultural incongruities - the "Ottoman Harem" photo ops inside the Basilica Cistern.  

A discrete photo of the Harem photo op stage in the Basilica Cistern.

Maybe I'm just reading too much into things - but Basilica Cistern represents Byzantine culture, not Ottoman.  Although, according to the brochure offered inside the Cistern, the Ottomans did use the Cistern water for their gardens at the Topkapı Palace for a short while before they secured their own water system in the city.  Details, details…

We had one of life's funny moments when walking up the path to the Blue Mosque as a couple started screaming in surprise and hugging H.  I figured they were Turkish friends that we happened to cross paths with in Istanbul.  Oh no, the world is much smaller.  These were two old friends from Kansas - yes, Kansas.  What are the chances that we should cross paths in such a way?  I would say probably one in a million - but I'm not that good at statistics.  We spent the rest of the afternoon eating, drinking tea and chatting. 

We got up at 4:30 to head to the airport for our flight, only to find out while attempting to check in that we were one day early…  It's okay, you can laugh, it's funny (although it wasn't at the time).   As I mentioned before, travel does strange things to the brain's time recognition system.

Due to this snafu we had one more day to go visit the Hagia Sophia and take in one of Istanbul's most famous cultural monuments.

The Hagia Sophia is a perfect example of overlapping cultures and civilizations in Istanbul. Some of the Islamic art was removed during restoration to reveal the Christian imagery and art beneath the paint.  The museum is an amazing place to spend a few hours to enjoy beauty and take in the history.

We also walked by the Bosphorus and had street food for our last dinner in Turkey - fish sandwiches, fried dough and salep.

One of the restaurants selling fish from a boat.  You just hop up to the edge, pay for your sandwich and then head to a modest table to enjoy your meal.  You'll see all types of people enjoying a quick bite - businessmen in suits, families with baby strollers, old couples, young couples and of course, tourists like us.

Lokma bought on the street in Istanbul.  Not my favorite, but tasty nonetheless.  

However, for me, the highlight of our time in Istanbul was our visit to the Maiden's Tower, a sight that for us symbolizes the romance of Istanbul.  More on the Maiden's Tower in the next post...

National Geographic - You Disappoint Me!

I have been raised with an appreciation for National Geographic.  From the days when I was big enough to hold a book or magazine in my own two hands, I was flipping through the pages of National Geo.  My dad has had a subscription since the late 70's - it was something, in fact, that he prided himself on.  My family moved several times and each time I was witness to the discussion of "what to do with all those magazines".  My mom thought we should get rid of them, my dad wanted to keep them - after all he had them building up for 20+ years, in those days.   (Let's just say I'm pretty sure my parents still have boxes of them in the basement.) 

Yep, piles of National Geo look something like this.  (Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohobotic)

With this background in mind, when my Turkish fiancé bought a subscription of National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler (unprovoked from me or my dad - mind you) - I was ecstatic!  I began reading the Traveler when it came each month and savoring the travel details and the bite-size articles.

This month's Traveler

This month in the November issue there was an article about Istanbul, Turkey.  I was thrilled!  I read it, I frowned, I put it down, I passed it to my fiancé, he read it, then he was the first to speak. 

"This is horrible!"  He exclaimed.

"I know!"  I shouted.  We immediately started discussing the ridiculousness of this article and how disappointed we both were in National Geo.

Boyd Matson wrote an article titled "When 'No' Means Go".  Now, just the title itself gives a big hint that this man must be stubborn. 

For those who don't have access to Traveler, I'll give you a brief summary - Matson travels to Istanbul quite a bit, but for some reason he is on a tour visiting all the same sights he has already seen several times - and he is soooo bored.  So instead of finding more "off the beaten track" places to visit and write about, or "gasp" getting out of Istanbul to see a different part of Turkey, Matson squirms his way around the typical tourist sights trying to get a pass to go places he's not allowed to go. 

He admits that for him "No is like a four letter word" and when he hears it, it makes him "determined to keep pushing, maneuvering, and negotiating until I get 'Yes'". 

Ahh - nothing like a brutish, egotistical, stubborn American to make a good impression around the world. 

He endures hours of rejection until he finds the muezzin, or "the guy", as Matson writes, to let him go up to the minaret in the Blue Mosque.  Then he begs women to pretend to be his wife so he can go to a couples only hamam that he was already rejected from since he wasn't part of a proper couple.

If I had a chance to speak to Boyd Matson, I'd ask him - "Was it worth it?  Did you get what you were after?"  He wrote his article, it was published - thus bringing down National Geo from the pedestal where I had held it since my childhood days.  What did he really accomplish with this article?  Perhaps he convinced other Americans that it's okay to act like a self-serving, ignorant jerk when abroad - can't get what you want - just be more pushy!

 It's disappointing to see Americans act with ignorance when abroad, such as the way Matson describes himself  - I've seen people with these attitudes all over the world - but it's even more disheartening to see a world renowned publisher like National Geo promote this type of attitude.