TOPKAPI PALACE
When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took
Istanbul in 1453, he first ordered the
construction of a new palace for this new
Ottoman capital, on a site in the district of
Beyazit where Istanbul University stands
today. But before long, he changed his mind
and had a number of buildings constructed
on the headland to the southeast. This was
to become the palace [...]

The ferry going over is packed. A young man with mountains of packages tells us in fractured German that he’s a guest worker in Germany just arrived home on a visit. The packages are presents. Uskudar’a pier is bedlam. We have no map but don’t need one; we just follow the crowds to a platform [...]

The Hilton occupies an expensive stretch of the Bosporus. The British Fleet is in and the Hilton is swarming with the Queen’s tars, most of them headed for the gaming tables. The lobby, clicking with dice and clacking with chips, sounds like Vegas. Even the view from the dining room, the fleet lit up with [...]

The famous Sahaflar Carsisi, in Bayzil Square, is directly opposite the covered bazaar’s Spoon Makers’ Gate. This historic area has about 50 small shops. This site was the Chartoprateia of Byzantium, the Book and Paper market during the Byzantine period. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, fez makers and metal engravers used the area. [...]

Ready to time travel?  Imagine yourself strolling down the columned streets of a city that pre-dates Christianity. You can actually walk through a city that was ancient during the life of Christ. From the lush Greek Isle of Samos you can ferry across the starling blue Aegean Sea to the port of Kusadasi in Turkey, [...]

Tomorrow we’ll take in Topkapi’s jewel-encrusted armor, jewel-encrusted thrones, jewel-encrusted teacups, jewel-encrusted jewels. (Much as we pretend we’re not tourists, we are.) For now it’s the Blue Mosque. If there’s any escape from Istanbul’s clamor that should be it, the only sounds stockinged feet on worn prayer rugs and, if we’re lucky, muezzim and congregants [...]

Istanbul is a noisy city, and nowhere is it noisier than on its docks. Our hotel, the Hayim, is a short block from the harbor. After breakfast we’re drawn there by a ship’s shrill whistle, each blast a romantic flashback to some sea-going novel of our youth. On the pier we’re swept along by armies [...]

Havuzlu Lokantasi is in the depths of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.
The first impression is of space. Ceilings are eight or ten meters high, the walls white washed, but graying now perhaps a little grimy. The room is uncluttered with plenty of room to wander around the tables. The atmosphere is timeless. You cannot help but [...]

The fame of these Moldavian churches reaches well beyond the borders of Romania. What is so special about them? They were built in the 15th and 16th centuries, at a time of great political and cultural development of Moldavia. The frescoes were typical of Byzantine churches of [...]

Loviisa. Located 54 miles east of Helsinki, this town belies the strong Russian influences along flavors of the eastern branch. There’s a historic residential district, the notable island fortress of Svartholm, and a pair of land fortresses (Ungern and Rosen) that offer insight into how the Swedes and Russians guarded the King’s Road from raids.
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