Travels Round The World

Golestan Palace Entry

The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, the Golestan Palace, is the result of 400 years of construction and renovation. After Nasser-ol-Din’s visit to Europe in 1865, he wanted to create a palace better than Versailles, the Louvre, Peterhof or Windsor.

A spectacular terrace was made by order of Shah Qajar in 1806.

Terrace

The throne that exists  today is in the middle of that terrace. It is made of famous yellow marble from Yadz province. The throne was made of  sixty-five pieces of this beautiful colored marble.

Throne

The throne that exists  today is in the middle of that terrace. It is made of famous yellow marble from Yadz province. The throne was made of  sixty-five pieces of this beautiful colored marble.

The Hall of Mirror is the most famous of the Palace Halls. This relatively small hallway has extraordinary mirror work.

Hall of Mirrors

Not as long a hallway, but is more spectacular than Versaille’s Hall of Mirrors.

Hall of Mirrors

During the Pahlavi era, 1925-1979, the Palace was used for formal royal receptions. The most important ceremonies were the coronation of Reza Kalm 1925 and coronation of his son, the former Shah of Iran in 1941, who was deposed in 1979.

Entrance to the Hall of Brillance

Golestan means “Rose Garden”. The Palace is built around a garden featuring pools and planted areas with beds of roses.

Rose Garden

The Palace and Gardens are currently under major renovations. Few rooms are open to the public, but they are worth a visit.

artisans work on renovations

More beautiful tile work….

tiles

rose garden tiles

tiles work

clean and green

We are lucky to be among the few Americans who have visited Iran during the past 5 years! With nuclear negotiations making headlines  every day, what would we see in this country? Beautiful palaces, mosques and  tree lined boulevards. 6 cities that were clean and green, with people who loved Americans.

The Houston World Affairs Council offered an educational trip to Iran, visiting major cities and historical sights. Our itinerary was Tehran, Yazd, Isfahan, Kashan, Ohm, Shiraz, Persepolis and Tehran. 14 curious travelers joined us on 5 bustrips and 3 domestic flights to see this mysterious country.

waterways

There was a shady green park across from our hotel. After a full day of travel,  the exercise was welcomed. So we walked and we walked.

pedestrian walkways

All these trees and parks were watered with irrigation regulated throughout the city. There were beautiful fountains were found throughout the city. From the center of traffic round-abouts to the numerous city parks.

fountains

Some of the water was in canals that ran through the city. The benches along these waterways were full of people enjoying the outdoors.

waterways

Everyone loved seeing the “countdown

traffic signals

On the sidewalks there were 2 of these donation boxes for the “poor” in each block. It kept you very aware of helping people in need.

A MUST – SEE for all visitors to Iran is the Carpet Museum or at the very least, a store that demonstrates how Persian rugs are made. Rugs are very important to Iranian art and culture. Carpet weaving goes back to 5th century B.C. The traditional Persian carpet is tied with a single looping knot which allows for a finer quality of work. Today, Iran is the largest producer and exporter of handmade carpets.

Persian rug

Visit to the Contemporary Arts Museum in Tehran

John as a piece of art

An Iranian with connections in Texas – his brother is a professor at UT Austin.  He was working at the museum gift shop!!! He loves America!

Iranian who loves Texas!

All women wore scarves to respect an Islamic tradition. It wasn’t hard to do. There were millions of scarves  – in every color and every design.

Iranians loved posing for American photographs

Agha Bororz Restaurant – our first lunch in Tehran

first lunch in Iran

There was a real effort for us to try a variety of Iranian culinary dishes… but we ate a lot of kebobs. Kebobs for lunch, kebobs for dinner.

Hookas

Iranian water pipes

Fine Wine in Cappadocia

Volcanic mineral-rich soil makes this Turkey’s prime grape-growing region and supports many productive wineries.

Cappadocia is one of the world’s oldest wine industries stretching back to the Hittites. Archaelogical evidence proves                                                                                   that winemaking dates back to 1800 B.C. Classifications were created and wine was exported to Assyria and Sumeria.

Kocabag vineyards

Kocabag is considered a boutique local label. This is a family owned wine producer. In 1986, the first bottle of wine                                                                                       was available on the market . In today’s wine sector, Kopcabag is considered one of the top 5 wineries in Turkey.  Now                                                                           more than 700,000 bottles are produced each year. Some are now available on the market in USA. 

Aantolian Grape

Cappadocia is actually a region not a city. Our hotel, The Fresco Cave Suites and Mansions, is in the ancient district                                                                                     of Konaklari or Temenni Hill. The town is Urgup in Neveshir. Sounds complicated…  but not if you’re from Turkey!

Cave hotel

There are 17 cave-rooms at the Fresco. Each features original frecoes dating back to the 19th century of the Ottoman                                                                                   period. Ours’ was the Big Arch Cave Suite, which consists of magnificent arches and a cave bathroom. Unique patterns                                                                           on are formed by the cooling down of volcanic ash that were layered, creating swirls  like a painting by a master painter.

Fresco wall in our suite

The terraces of the Fresco provide beautiful views of Erciyes Mountain in the distance.  Erciyes, the tallest volcano in the                                                                       region, was one of three ancient volcanos that erupted 9 – 3 million years ago. Today it is always covered with snow.

Fresco Hotel

“The Museum” is a premier hotel in Cappadocia. We were not able to get a room.  If you can – book ahead!  It’s worth it!

The Museum

Museum Hotel’s Terrace and pool

cave dwelling in Cappadocia

The first settlements were from the Roman times. Villagers carved cave-homes from the soft volcanic deposits.

Cappadocia became a religious refuge during the early days of Christianity. By the 4th century Christians were fleeing

persecution from Rome and later from Muslims. Monastic communities excavated many cave chapels and churches.

cave-homes in volcanic rock

To escape persecution, first from the Romans and then the Muslims, they built underground cities which housed up to

10,000 people. The largest was 7 levels deep with enough food storage for 2 months.

Underground cities

These underground cities were surprisingly complex. Access to water wells, kitchens, veritical air ducts for ventilation,

a section for animals. Goreme Open-Air Museum, World Heritage Site, has the best collection from the 11th century.

underground cities

complex design of undergound

Located in south central Turkey, Cappadocia is an hour flight from Istanbul.  This unique landscape is worth the trip!

Volcanic eruptions created these surreal rock formations. The lava flowed to form “tuff-rock” which thousand of years

of rain and wind erosion sculpted into curvy cliff faces and pointy conical formations, know locally as “fairy chimneys.”

fairy chimneys

Ballooning is big business in the region. Floating high above this other-worldly landscape is an incredible sight!

Your hotel pick-up is 4:30am. Free coffee included…  Up to 100 balloons can be in the air on any morning!

hot-air balloons over Cappadocia

This was Sandy’s first hot-air balloon trip and John’s second. Both were really happy to be taking this trip!

pre-flight photo

There were 20 people in our basket including the pilot. All cameras were clicking. You wanted to catch everything!

Large basket for 20 photographers

Balloon rides are one hour long and early in the morning because of the temperature and wind. We loved every minute!

best way to see the region

We had a soft landing in a field of flowers! Our “chase team” met us with a bottle of champagne to celebrate our great adventure!

Champagne Toast

Basilica Cistern

500 feet from the Hagia Sophia is the Basilica Cistern. This impressive sight has been used in the

filming of “From Russia with Love” and “Inferno” by Dan Brown (of the DaVinci Code).

This huge underground Roman water source is held up with 336 marble columns and can store

100,000 tons of water. It was built in the 4th century using recycled columns from Roman buildings.

Cistern

The 1963 James Bond movie referred to the cistern as located under the Russian Consulate,

but it is no where near it in real life.

John with our guide

The book, INFERNO, is popular enough in Istanbul for a special tour by FEST Travel  called

“In Search of Dan Brown’s Historic Peninsula.”

Medusa Head in Cistern

Roof Top Terraces and boutique hotels are most popular in old town of Istanbul.

Here is The Four Seasons in Sultanahmet’s A’Ya Lounge.

4 Season Rooftop

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia was built in 537 as a Greek Orthodox, Byzantine Church.

From 1455 to 1931 it was converted to an Imperial Mosque and opened as a museum in 1935.

It’s full name in Greek is Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God.

Hagia Sophia was beautifully decorated with mosaics in the centuries during the Byzantine period.

These mosaics depicted the Virgin Mary, Jesus, saints, emperors and empresses.

During the Ottoman occupation in 1453, mosaics were whitewashed or plastered when the Hagia Sophia was used as a mosque.

Many mosaics were removed and shipped to Venice. The earthquake of 1894 also destroyed some of the beautiful mosaics.

Virgin Mary with Christ Child

Shopping is part of your visit to Istanbul!  Rugs, gold jewelry, ceramics and spices! At the bazaars and everywhere on the streets.

Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar had changed the most from our trip ten years ago. Today it’s light and clean, with only standard souvenirs.

Years ago it was a dark, mysterious place, filled with all things oriental. It was amazing! We wanted to buy everything we saw!

Grand Bazaar Istanbul

Today there are rugs, scarves, and every kind of souvenir. But we missed the dark corners, the intrique, and the special finds of the old days!

Gold Jewelry

Sultanahmet Blue Mosque

Built by Sultan Ahmet I from 1609 to 1616, it is still used as a Muslim Mosque today. It is closed 5 times a day for ezan, the daily prayers.  The exact time of ezan changes each day due to the rotation around the sun. Islamic prayer times are not set by clocks but traditionally set according to the movement of the sun. Dawn, before the sun appears; at midday; afternoon; at dusk; when last light of day has disappeared.

The Blue Mosque was named because of the 20,000 Iznik blue tiles surrounding the walls of the interior.  This mosque was designed by Mimar Sinan and was his masterpiece, one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture. It’s minarettes and cascading domes dominate the skyline of Istanbul.

This close-up of the dome shows the Arabic writing of Islamic prayers and the traditonal blue designs of the Iznik tiles.

Blue Mosque Dome

John and Tuncay reunited in 2015

2002 was our first visit to Istanbul with friends from Paris, Meri-Katherine and John Peed. Purchasing some Turkman rugs was on our agenda. When visiting the nearby Blue Mosque we ran across the rug store, Istanblue. The owner, Tuncay Gunc, was good enough to sell 4 rugs that day! He told us his story of wishing his son would go to college and not have to sell rugs for a living.

Today, 13 years later, Tuncay was amazed to find that John remembered that story. We were amazed that the story had such a happy ending!  Tungay’s son is graduating  with a Masters Degree in Architecture from Harvard University on May 28, 2015!!! The proud Dad is flying to his graduation in Boston!

We searched the Hippodrome area near the Blue  Mosque,  looking for the shop that we remembered from 2002 – something with a second floor, someplace that sold rugs. When John saw the name “Istanblue” he knew we had found that shop!!! A great surprise!!!

Memories from 2002

Tuncay gave a tour of the old shop with a new product focus – easy tourist products, no rugs. Mostly scarves and ceramics. We had great fun shopping with his help, of course! Sandy was in “scarf heaven” and John was in tourist shopping “mode”. We walked away with bags full.

Sandy was in “Scarf Heaven”

Dolmabahce Palace Entrance

The Dolmabahce Palace is one of the most glamorous palaces in the world.  It’s a blend of European architectural styles that became a symbol of Ottoman modernization. Commissioned by the Sultan Abdulmecid in 1843, it was completed in 1856.

Here’s John & Sandy greeting Ambassadors arriving on the Bosphorous.

John & Sandy greeting Ambassadors on the Bosphorous

This was our favorite place in Istanbul.  Dolmabahce means filled-in garden. It’s very beautiful outside and inside!!!

Dolmabahce Palace – View from Bosphorous

Even in the 1850’s they had gated communities! Here is the entrance gate that Ambassadors from countries all over the world passed through.

Entrance gate

The Ambassador’s Hall is where guests would first wait to be received.

Ambassador’s Hall

The staircase is made of Baccarat crystal, brass, and mahogany. The Palace has the largest collection of Baccarat in the world.

Crystal Stairs

Guests would be taken from the Ambassador’s Hall to the Reception Chamber though this beautiful passageway.

Passage Hall

The designers of the Paris Opera, Sechan and Gadre, were brought to Istanbul to do the interiors of the Palace.  These are the original decorations, furniture, silk carpets and curtains.

Ambassador Reception Chamber

The Ballroom is 2,000 square meters with a huge silk and wool Hereke Carpet.

Ballroom

A 4.5 ton chandelier hangs from the 36 meter high dome. One of the largest in the world.

Ceremonial Hall Chandelier

A smaller but more colorful chandelier was one of the many chandeliers in the palace.

Colorful Chandelier

The Harem contained the private rooms for the Sultan and his family, including his mother, wives and favorites, concubines and children.

Sultan’s Chamber in Harem

Ataturk spent the last days of his life in the Palace as his health deteriorated. He died on November 10, 1938.

Ataturk’s Bedroom