We left Ankara in the morning with a heavy heart. Not because we had fallen in love with the city, but because of something we could not do. When I had reached Ankara in the afternoon two days before, on the 26th, I had called up the Indian Embassy at 12.45 pm. A local man, I presumed, picked up my call and asked me to stay on the line while he connected the Indian office, after I had identified myself. After a wait he connected back to say that the officials are at lunch and that I should call back at 2 pm. When I did that I was told that he could not get anyone on the line because they were all busy and I should call back after 20 minutes. I did that and, in a most apologetic tone, the person told me that no one was attending to the call from the Indian office. He further told me that the Embassy would be closed during the weekend. Is the fate of an Indian who wants assistance from his embassy officials? Mercifully, I only wanted to make a courtesy call and visit any senior Embassy official as I was in the capital city of Turkey. I thanked my lucky stars that I was not in any emergency.
The drive from Ankara to Istanbul, the last leg of the 14th edition of Record Drive, was 450 km along carpeted Expressways. It started raining almost immediately as we left Ankara. The rain and mist were so heavy and thick that visibility was considerably affected. Buffeting winds were a matter of great concern too as the small car took a lot of steering skill to keep steady. At times I wondered if I would be physically lifted and deposited in the next lane, or worse, even toppled. Anyway, after over an hour of anxious driving and a hundred km out of Ankara, the weather cleared up and the drive was silky smooth thereafter.
The Ramada Taksim is just a stone's throw away from the famed Square. The Taksim Square is the heart of modern Istanbul, with plenty of cafes, shops, hotels and restaurants. The central station of the Istanbul Metro network is also in Taksim Square. At the centre of Taksim Square is the Republic Monument, commemorating the establishment of the Turkish Republic. The Taksim Square was exceptionally crowded, being a Sunday. It has places for a busy nightlife, shopping, traditional sweet meat shops and dining areas. Vintage trams shuttle along Istiklal Caddesi, the city’s main pedestrian boulevard, ploughing through a sea of humanity. The iconic street is flanked by 19th-century buildings housing international shopping chains, movie theatres, and cafes. The dense network of side streets, filled with bars, antiques shops, and rooftop eateries have views of the Bosphorus. People were everywhere and they seems to be walking up and down, talking, laughing and stopping to admire street artists and performers.
From the Taksim Square is visible the Hagia Triada or the Holy Trinity Church that has access from the Istiklal Street. The Greek Orthodox Church was built in 1880 for the service of the Greek community in the area. This is the largest Greek Orthodox shrine in the whole of Istanbul. The neo-baroque style construction was the first domed church built after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The twin bell towers were a novelty at the time and now the church serves a community of about a 150 parishioners. When we arrived at the church for visit and prayer, the sexton, I presumed, thrust couple of candles into our hand and asked us to light it in a designated place. As soon as they were lit he opened a draw and asked us, almost forcibly, to donate! After the donation we were permitted to go into the church. I saw this being repeated with a few more visitors. This was extortionist, to say the least. As in other churches, we were not permitted to take any photos. There were many rich icons in the church and I was particularly taken in by the one of Mother Mary.
A recent addition to the Taksim Square is the Taksim Mosque. There were protests when the project for the Mosque was announced in 2013, as people suspected that to be the President's ploy to subvert secularism, which has been the hallmark of the country since becoming a Republic in 1923. The President brooked no obstacles and the Taksim Mosque was inaugurated in May 2021. Many believe that the presence of the mosque has dwarfed the Republic Monument that exemplified the spirit of the Square.
Walking around the many shops that lead to the Istiklal Street we could not take our eyes off the displays of sweets in traditional shops that claimed its lineage from the 18th and 19th centuries. We were moths drawn to a fire. The problem was to choose what we wanted to have. Both confirmed diabetics on serious medication, this was an avoidable but unavoidable situation. While Hetal was involved in filming and documenting the displays, I was pedantically going through the menu.
In the end we decided to stand by the displays and observe what was being ordered the most. Using that method we ordered the Raspberry trilece. The first bit that came in contact with the taste buds made us abandon the idea of slowly soaking in the flavours of the heavenly spongy cake that had devoured syrupy milk. It was over oh so soon! Should we order one more of the same or another? There was a lot of back and forth. We observed the busy tables and what was being served there. Noah's pudding seemed to be the next favourite. The pudding is made of grains, grams, dried fruits and nuts. Historically, it is believed that when Noah's ark came to rest on Mount Ararat, in present day Turkey, the pudding was made with the left overs in the Ark. It is rich and high in fibre. We avoided each other's eyes after the pudding was done with, lest we fall for another temptation.
The Pera Palace Hotel, not far from the Taksim Square, a fair walk along the Istiklal Street, is where Madame Agatha Christie is reputed to have stayed often on her many trips to Istanbul while researching and writing The Murder on the Orient Express. Her consistent occupation of room number 411, her mysterious disappearance from the room for nearly two weeks and the awesome crime thriller have vested the hotel with an aura that still survives after so many decades. The Pera Palace Hotel was the only establishment, apart from the Ottoman palaces, to have electricity during the initial years when it was built in 1892. It was almost exclusively meant for passengers on the Orient Express. The hotel had installed the first electric elevator and had running hot water during 'those' days. The hotel staff kindly let us in despite the museum being closed. We walked around in awe taking in a bit of the 130 year old history of the building. When asked if we could peep into the famous room 411, we were told that they had guests staying in the room. Kemal Ataturk used to stay in room 10 of the hotel during his visits to Istanbul.
Derya Ibiloglu of Derya Travels came to the hotel to take us out to experience Turkish street food. We walked along Istiklal Caddesi, with Derya pointing out remarkable buildings, serving up their importance and darting into side streets to explore the food fare available. Finally, we settled into one and Derya ordered for us. Raki, made of twice distilled grapes and anise, is the national drink of Turkey. It is a crystal clear liquid that turns milky white upon mixing water. Meant to be had after lacing the stomach, the drink is washed down with water from a separate glass and has to be sipped temperately. Dinner consisted of a salad bowl, kidney beans, spinach, brinjal hummus, dil yoghurt, and bread. For the inveterate carnivore arrived Midye, stuffed mussels, and a special dish of fish. The one thing that stands apart in Turkish cuisine is the absence of masala and anything that makes the stomach feel heavy and bloated. Over numerous sips of Raki the food went down without a fuss.
We walked back through the always busy Istiklal Caddesi, teeming with humanity, many weighed down by their shopping bags, dodging the boisterous and taking in the sights of Istanbul's landmark area for the last time as it is time to get back to India.
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