Postkort fra Istanbul 2
fortsættelse af Postkort fra Istanbul 1
scroll down for english translation
Orient Express - Pera, Galata, Karakoy.
Alle billeder er mine og må ikke bruges uden tilladelse
Vores Orient Express tour, designet af undertegnede indeholder lidt historie, lidt mystik, lidt sjovt og en lækker afternoon tea.
Tæt på Sultan Ahmet område og Eminonu ligger Sirkeci den berømte og historisk endestation for Orient Ekspressen. Orient Ekspressen var den internationale langdistance tog der kørte fra Paris til Istanbul (1883- 1977). I må kende Orient Ekspressen fra Agatha Christies krimi "Mordet på Orient Ekspressen".
Vores første stop er Sirkeci, tag sporvognen eller gå. Sirkeci togstation ligger lige over for sporvogn stoppet.
Meget er ændret siden Agatha Christie steg af Orient Ekspressen, men stationen er bevaret i sin original tilstand. Her kan man godt stå og fantasere om hvordan mon det har været at stige af Orient-Ekspressen på dette perron eller sidde på terminal restauranten og får en kop te med nogle af de andre nobiliteter og berømtheder.
Her er også en lille togbane museum med blandt andet te service fra Orient Ekspressen.
Efter at man har gået rundt på stationen og snuset til historien, anbefaler jeg at hvis der tid, at gå en tur rundt at gå i området omkring stationen. På bagsiden ligger Gulhane park.
For at fortsætte direkte til Pera område tag sporvognen fra Sirkeci station til Karakoy og derfra en bus til Pera, stå af ved busstop "Sishane 2" og gå op trapperne til Mesrutiyet Street og gå til venstre.
Vores næste destination er Pera Place Hotel. Gennem tiderne opstod luksus hoteller langs togruten. I Istanbul åbnede Pera Palace Hotel i 1895, en luksus hotel til at matche det luksuriøse tog for at huse de rige og berømte rejsende.
Pera Palace har husede mange berømtheder, udover krimi forfatteren Agatha Christie og andre nobiliteter, husede hotellet blandt andet Greta Garbo og Ernest Hemingway som begge havde faste værelser på hotellet. Ata Turk, den tyrkiske landsfader havde også sit eget suite som nu er et museum. Agatha Christie var en hyppig gæst, hendes værelse Nr. 411 er forsat i brug dagen i dag. Der fortælles at dele af bogen "Mordet på Orient - Ekspressen" er skrevet på værelse 411.
Der høre også et lille mysterium til Nr. 411 og selve forfatteren. Der fortælles at Agatha Christie forsvandt i 11 dage fra hendes hjem og dukkede op lige så pludselig som hun forsvandt. Forfatteren afslørede ikke på nogen tidspunkt hvor hun var taget hen.
Noget tid efter hendes død ville Hollywood lave en film om Agatha Christies liv og i den forbindelse blev et medium ansat til at kontakte Agatha Christies ånd. Historien fortæller at forfatteren fortalte mediet at hemmeligheden bag hendes forsvinden var gemt i rum 411 på Pera Place Hotel. Historien fortæller også at der skulle være gemt et nøgle i rum 411, nøglen ville lede til en dagbog/notebog som ville forklare forfatterens forsvinden. Det siges at nøglen åbner et rum i hotellets daværende ejers palæ, hvor et dagbog/notebog med hemmeligheden skulle være opbevaret. Man fandt da også et nøgle i rummet, men filmselskabet og hotellet kunne ikke enes om det økonomiske aftaler. Herfra er der diverse forskellige fortællinger, en af dem at at man aldrig fandt dagbogen og nøglen har været opbevaret i en bankboks siden.
Vi ledte dog ikke efter nøglen, men havde booket bord til afternoon tea i Pera Palces te salon med piano. Menuen var en blanding af tyrkisk, fransk og engelsk desserter og fingermad. Vores favorit var blandt andet scones og sutluck (tyrkisk risengrød).
Inden vi fik serverede afternoon tea, kunne vi går rundt og kigge lidt omkring i hotellet blandt andet i Ataturk Museum, forbi en flot trappe og en flot elevator, den første elevator i den osmaniske rige.
Afternoon tea seancen i det flotte salon var en smuk og special oplevelse, her kunne vi bygge vider på vores fantasier om at sidde, nyde " a nice cup of tea " og finger sandwich sammen med Agatha Christie. Teen var ad libitum sammen med finger maden, vi kunne sagtens have siddet der i flere timer. Menuen var en blanding af tyrkisk, fransk og engelsk desserter og fingermad. Vores favorit var blandt andet scones og sutluck (tyrkisk risengrød). Vi anbefaler et besøg på Pera Palace til Afternoon tea som skal bookes. Vi fandt prisen rimeligt, historiske te slaon er meget mere end pengene værd. Udover Afternoon tea eventet har hotellet også et dessert restaurant.
Mesrutiyet Street er også værd at exploring, her ligger en bogcafe i en historisk bygning, der er flere andre historisk bygninger, hoteller, spise steder bla Mikla, Michelin stjerne restaurant med flot udsigt over Istanbul. Der er også en passage til Istikal street "Hazzo Palo Passage".
Mesrutiyet Street er det sidste stop på vores "Orient Express" tour, håber I har nydt den. Man kan slutte dagen her eller fortsætte som vi gjorde til Galata området.
Vi vendte den vej vi kom fra og gik mod Galata, her kom vi også forbi nogle hyggelig gader, udsigt til havet og flere hyggelig butikker.
Vi fulgte bare gaden, jo nærmer man kommer Galata tårnet jo flere mennesker er der i gaderne omkring tårnet. Find vej frem til Buyuk Hendek Street, en meget livlig gade med cafeer og alle de andre turister. Hvis man gerne vil se Galata Tower og gaderne omkring med lidt ro, så kom om morgenen.
Selv om vi har set Galata tårnet flere gange før, er den altid fascinerende. Galata tårnet er en af de ældste tårn i verden, en af Istanbul landmærker med 380 grader topview over Istanbul.
Denne gang var tårnet under renovering, men det forhindrede ikke masserne eller os i tage selfies og billeder af tårnet. Vi gik rundt omkring tårnet og beundret fulgene som fløj fra deres reder i murværket på tårnet. Skiltet ved Galata tårnet fortalte om renovering og at de havde ladet de 400 reder blive i murværket.
Når I har taget nok selfies, anbefaler jeg at gå rundt og snuse omkring de omliggende gader og små allér, for det er meget se og nyde. Fra her kan man blandt andet gå til Istikal street, finde vej til de berømte Kamondo trapper eller gå til karakoy området. En af gaderne er Sardar -I- Ekram street, her findes hyggelig kaffer og forretninger.
Vi fandt vores vej frem til karakoy square, stod og så solnedgang på Galata broen Hvis man er blevet sulten kan man finde frem til en lækker suppe restaurant, vores sidste stop, Karakoy Corba Evi, se adressen under billedet. Den er også på vores anbefaling liste over lokal spisesteder man skal prøve, enda budget venligt. Restauranten er kun en suppe restaurant og ret meget var udsolgt da vi nåede frem, men vi fik spist forskellige lækker linsesupper. I nærheden ligger også en meget populær bali etmek restaurant og andre spisesteder.
Karakoy Corba Evi, Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Mumhane Cd. No:35
English translation
Postcards from Istanbul 2
Orient Express - Pera Palace day, Galata, Karakoy.
All pictures are mine and can not be used without permission.
Our Orient Express excursion day includes a bit of history, a bit of mystery, a bit of fun and a delicious afternoon tea.
Close to the Sultan Ahmet area and Eminonu is Sirkeci, the famous and historic terminus of the Orient Express. The Orient Express was the international long-distance train that ran from Paris to Istanbul (1883-1977). You must know the Orient Express from Agatha Christie's crime novel "Murder on the Orient Express".You can walk to the station or take the tram down to Sirkeci. Sirkeci train station is directly opposite the tram stop.
Much has changed since Agatha Christie stepped off the Orient Express, but the station has been preserved in its original state. Here you can stand and fantasize about what it must have been like to get off the Orient Express on this platform or sit in the terminal restaurant and have a cup of tea with some of the other dignitaries and celebrities.
There is also a small train museum here with, among other things, tea service from the Orient Express.
After you have walked around the station and smelled the history, I recommend that, if you have time, to go for a walk around the area around the station. At the back is Gulhane park.
To continue directly to Pera area take the tram from Sirkeci station to Karakoy station and from there bus to the bus stop "Sishane 2", walk up the stairs to Mesrutiyet Street.
Our next destination is Pera Place Hotel. Over the years, luxury hotels appeared along the train route. In Istanbul, the Pera Palace Hotel opened in 1895, a luxury hotel to match the luxury train to accommodate the rich and famous travelers.
Pera Palace has housed many celebrities, in addition to the crime writer Agatha Christie and other nobles, the hotel also housed Greta Garbo and Ernest Hemingway, who both had fix rooms in the hotel. Ata Turk, the father of the Turkish nation, also had his own suite which is now a museum.
Agatha Christie was a frequent visitor, her room No. 411 is still in use today. It is said that parts of the book "Murder on the Orient Express" were written in room 411.
There is also a small mystery to No. 411 and the author herself. It is said that Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days from her home and appeared as suddenly as she disappeared. The author did not reveal at any time where she had gone. Some time after her death Hollywood wanted to make a film about Agatha Christie's life and in that connection a medium was hired to contact Agatha Christie's spirit. The story goes that the author told the media that the secret behind her disappearance was hidden in room 411 of the Pera Place Hotel. The story also tells that there should have been a key hidden in room 411, the key would lead to a diary/notebook which would explain the author's disappearance. It is said that the key opens a room in the mansion of the hotel's then owner, where a diary/notebook with the secret was supposed to be kept. A key was also found in the room, but the film company and the hotel could not agree on the financial agreement. From here there are various different stories, one of them being that the diary was never found and the key has been kept in a bank safe ever since.
However, we were not looking for the key, but had booked a table for afternoon tea in Pera Places tea salon with piano.
Before we were served afternoon tea, we could walk around and have a look around the hotel, including in the Ataturk Museum, we went op a beautiful staircase and a beautiful elevator, the first elevator in the Ottoman Empire. Check the pictures above too.
Afternoon tea in the hall was a beautiful and special experience, here we could build on our fantasies of sitting, enjoying a "nice cup of tea" and finger sandwiches with Agatha Christie. The tea was ad libitum together with the finger food, you could easily have sat there for several hours. The menu was a mix of Turkish, French and English desserts and finger food. Our favorite were, among other things, scones and sutluck (Turkish rice porridge). We recommend booking a afternoon tea, we found it budget friendly and the historical venue is more then the money worth. If afternoon tea is not your thing, addition to the Afternoon tea event, the hotel also has a dessert restaurant.
The Pera area and Mesrutiyet Street is also worth exploring, here is a book cafe in a historic building and there are several other historic buildings, hotels, places to eat, including Mikla, a Michelin star restaurant with a great view of Istanbul. There is also a passage to Istikal street "Hazzo Palo Passage".
Mesrutiyet Street is the last stop on our "Orient Express" excursion. You can end the day here or continue as we did to the Galata area.
We turned the way we came from and went towards Galata, here we also passed some nice streets, a view of the sea and several nice shops. We just followed the street. You cant miss the tower. The closer you get to the Galata tower, the more people there are in the streets around the tower. Make your way to Buyuk Hendek Street, a very lively street with cafes and all the other tourists. If you want to see the Galata Tower and the surrounding streets with some peace, come in the morning.
Although we have seen the Galata Tower several times before, it is always fascinating to look at. The Galata Tower is one of the oldest towers in the world and one of Istanbul's landmarks.
This time the tower was under renovation, but that didn't stop the masses or us from taking selfies / touristy pictures of the tower. We walked around the tower and admired the birds that had built nests in the walls of the tower. The sign at the Galata tower told about the renovation and that they had left the 400 nests in the masonry be.
When you have taken enough selfies, I recommend walking around and exploring the surrounding streets and small avenues, because there is a lot to see and enjoy. From here you can walk to Istiklal street, find your way to the famous Kamondo stairs or go to the Karakoy area. One of the streets is Sardar -I- Ekram street, here there are cozy cafes and shops.
Karakoy Corba Evi, Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Mumhane Cd. No:35
We found our way to Karakoy square, and the Galata bridge. If you are hungry you can find a delicious soup restaurant Karakoy Corba Evi, our last stop, see the address below the picture. It is also on our recommendation list of local eateries you must try, even budget friendly.
The restaurant is only soup restaurant and was pretty much sold out when we arrived, but we got to eat various delicious lentil soups.
Nearby is also a very popular bali etmek restaurant and other places to eat.
