Basilica Cistern

Waking up with a headache from the seven-hour time difference, I shook the jet lag off with a shower and morning coffee on the terrace overlooking the city.  By the weak dawn’s light, I could see from the mosques of the Sultanhamet area, where we were staying, to the Galata Tower and all the way to the Asian side of the city.  Since Istanbul is the only city in the world to span two continents, Europe and Asia, I could see why Dr. Campbell had said that we could only catch a glimpse of the city and its 15 million inhabitants in a week.

The group straggled into the lobby of the hotel after breakfast and prepared for Dr. Campbell’s whirlwind tour of the city.  Our fearless leader took us from the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque area all the way to the Topkapi Palace and waterfront area by the Galata Bridge before leading us through the colorful and pungent Spice Bazaar and back to the hotel.  In the Spice Bazaar, my senses were on overload by with the multitude of people inside and the disorienting array of colors and sounds.  People bumped against me muttering in a language I could not understand (Turkish) and my nostrils were filled with the aroma of paprika, cracked pepper and saffron sitting in neat piles before the vendors’ booths.  When one vendor shoved a plate of candy in front of me, I took a morsel and stole my first true taste of Turkey, Turkish Delight.

Roughly around noon, we broke into smaller groups to find lunch, and my friends and I selected Buhara, a small café just down from the Hippodrome.  There, we ate a sort of flat bread cooked on a brick oven and for our main course, cheese pide, which essentially is Turkish pizza.  It was delicious, and feeling renourished, we trotted back uphill to learn more about the Hippodrome, a place where chariot races had taken place in the time that Istanbul was called Constantinople.

Back in that time, teams named the Blues, Greens, Whites and Reds battled in chariot races while onlookers cheered with the same fervor that Turks feel toward soccer in modern times.  Today, the Hippodrome is actually about six feet underneath the ground, but an obelisk from Egypt stands above ground, pointing to the sky with traditional Egyptian designs.

 After seeing the Hippodrome, we went underground to view the Basilica Cistern, which literally means “Sunken Palace.”  Discovered in the recent past, the cistern at one time housed all the water supply needed for Istanbul, but today, it is simply breathtaking.  Cool, wet, and dark, the Sunken Palace's beauty could never be captured by pictures.  Doric and Corinthian columns supported traditional Roman masonry, and the sheer magnitude of the space was overwhelming.

 After dinner on our own, some of us decided to check out the nightlife of Istanbul in an area called “Backpacker Row,” where European backpackers often frequented the bars and pubs.  We found our own little slice of heaven at a place called Just Bar that, despite its quaint exterior, played PC favorites such as “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Brown-Eyed Girl” at our request.  Who would have ever thought PC students could be doing the South Carolina State Dance, the Shag, in Istanbul, Turkey?

Read the first entry: Flying to Istanbul

Read the third entry: chora, Cemberlitas bath, and gypsies

posted by Stacy Dyer '96

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