Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, have got summarily eliminated from our ‘small vacation’ list so while we get comfortable in our Juicy Couture pink-trimmed flying kits and kick off our shoes, Turkish Airlines pounds the clouds on its way to Istanbul, the land of drama and indulgence, where chariots rolled to Byzantine applause and whirling dervishes swayed to mystic melodies; where casseroles simmered in earthern pots and magic carpets revealed their unique stories; where hamams and harems were havens of seduction and intrigue. This was a good idea we later agree as we take in the deep blue of the Bosphorus River and the scores of slender minarets dotting the sky on our drive into the city. Fifteen million people live in this urban sprawl that embraces two continents, Asia and Europe. This former capital of three successive empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, we find, has plenty to flaunt and we have all of three days to absorb. Sunscreens and hats in place, we begin Day One with a cruise. The crowd on the deck is a motley one, dressed for the sun: bare shoulders, capris and bleached strands. We count at least five Pradas carelessly placed at the bottom of the boat. In this wonderland of fabulous fakes, I wonder about their authenticity, but my fashionable colleague just shrugs, her eyes riveted by treasures beyond the waters. We glide past magnolia-filled gardens and cascading domes, intricately-carved mosques, marble palaces and the architectural marvel, Rumeli Hisari, the fortress that took Mehmet the Conqueror four months to build before he captured Istanbul in 1452.

Three suspension bridges, the first of which came up in 1973, span the breadth of the river that winds through the city, giving us tantalising glimpses of glass-fronted villas and white mansions on hills. Many of these, we learn, were summer residences of the Sultans, now inhabited by rich traders or Greek tycoons and, on the European edge, the coastal roads are abuzz with noisy taverns and seafood restaurants. At Ortakoy, where we disembark, we decide our first real meal must be authentic Turkish, so at a streetside kiosk, we order the famed kumpir. Essentially, a gigantic, baked jacket potato with a chunk scooped out, then filled to the brim with a deftly churned mixture of butter, cheese, sour cream, olives, corn, pickles, cold cuts and various other toppings of choice, it is a local speciality that lives up to its name, though it can kill with its size! Ortakoy is also where a mosque, a church and a synagogue have coexisted for hundreds of years and where weekend flea markets, coffee bars and verandah art galleries thrive. The Bosphorus, carrier of oil tankers and shipments of grain through the centuries, now has pretty yachts also ruling the waves and in the post dusk boat tours, even a belly dancer gamely displaying her sense of balance on board! We too, later watch a mind-boggling act that includes whirling dervishes at a dinner show at Orient House, an Ottoman-style restaurant while sipping the aniseed-flavoured Raki and munching on traditional Doner kebabs.

Istanbul engulfs us into a past that is overwhelming in its lineage while allowing us to hoard bits of the present in its remarkable display of art, craft and cuisine, all up for grabs! If the horn-shaped estuary, Golden Horn, mesmerises with the setting sun’s molten hues that light up the promenades and parks on its shore, then the ancient 4000 shops-plus Grand Bazaar is the original mall where you can easily spend a week rummaging in the clutter of decades for some original antique goodies.

After 8
Hot on the wining and dining trail of the rich and the famous...

If you survive the right of passage for entry which includes prior reservation, formal dress code, rude summing up stares (them) cool eye contact (you) and later, surly, slow service, 360, the rooftop restobar that occupies a 19th century penthouse and brandishes a clutch of awards, is from where you feast your eyes on the splendour of Istanbul. A table near the edge gives an unrestricted 360o view of the twinkling skyline as we nibble on delightful meze platters and imbibe from a drinks menu that is as good as its flamboyant flaunt. Our group of four adventurously tried a Moscow Mule, a Ginger Rita, a Yoo Hoo Raspberry and a Brain Freeze. They were all superb. Somewhere in between several refills, we ate some good Pan Asian entrees but collectively recall ending our meal with Death by Chocolate while focussing hazily on the steeple of St Antoine’s Church and the Hagia Sophia.
Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu. Tel: 2122511042.

An elitist nightclub with a stunning waterfront view, REINA is paparazzi paradise. This is where rich Turkish babalog, Page Three lovelies, visiting celebs, cigar-smoking tycoons, even European royalty, shake a leg to loud Mediterranean beats or simply indulge till four in the morning. Less of a club and more like an enormous open air vista encompassing bars, food areas and dance floors, it can accommodate more than 2000 people and the night we traipsed in (through prior reservations, security and all that), it seemed like 3000! Every woman looked like a model and most of the men, outfitted like millionaires! The menu runs the gamut from pasta to sushi to the famed Turkish testi kebab. A former ship turned haute spot, Reina, designer-draped in hues of white, black and metal wears its swishy location proud and preens like a prima donna in seductive mode while the Bosphorus flows gently by. As the experts always exclaim: location, location, location.
44 Muallim Naci Caddesi, Ortaköy. Tel: 2122595919.

From the moment we step into the chandeliered lobby of the CIRAGAN PALACE KEMPINSKI, we take many steps back in time. Living legacy of the Ottoman Empire and the only palace hotel in all of Turkey, the hotel has risen from the ashes so to speak to transform itself into a truly luxe setting. A great fire that destroyed much of the original structure in 1910 which later served as a military barrack and a football practice field, was restored to its regal beginnings after lying in ruins for almost 80 years. We dine in the refined ambience of Tugra, the fine-dining restaurant that makes theatre of classical Turkish cuisine, starting from potent sips of Raki right down to the authentic sticky bakalava. A stay at the Bosphorus-fringed Ciragan (meaning ‘a special light source’ in Persian) promises to be equally uplifting. Arrive from the airport by helicopter or glide in from the river on a white yacht, suitcases in tow. If you prefer the mundane road route, the hotel will send their leather-trimmed Maybach limousine, fitted with Bose speakers and reading lamps. Then check into one of the Pasha suites and expect to be pampered like an 18th century potentate or princess!
Ciragan Caddesi No 32, Besiktas. Tel: 2123264646.

street CHIC
Losing control of the credit cards...

Istiklal Caddesi in the heart of Beyoglu is Champs des Elysees with more attitude and where the music begins for the serious shopper’s soul. An assortment of must-buys, be they international high end, local treasures or elegant exclusives, brim over from attractively made up stores on this 19th century boulevard that has it all. Boutiques, bars, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, and if slightly incongruous, the Church of San Antonio di Padua line the three km long street that is strictly pedestrian except for the vintage trams that occasionally clank along the rails. The nightlife here ends at the break of dawn. Cicek Pasaji, the little lane off the main street, that originally housed the flower market, is now a passage boasting tiny seafood restaurants and traditional bars and naturally we seat ourselves for a bit of sampling.

Nisantasi, in the neighbour-hood, is a few notches up the upscale ladder with its name-dropping labels (think Marc Jacobs), trendy hotels (Hotel W), spiffy spas (Taylife), concept stores (Beymen Blender) and the famed Long Table restaurant. If a mall is your weakness, Istinye Park is where everybody goes to check out the new Bottegas and Guccis though we gave that a miss in favour of the Spice Bazaar across the Galata Bridge where we stocked up on hazelnuts and Turkish coffee to take back home. For exquisite pottery that begs to be bought, Firca at Sultanahmet, has a range that will hypnotise you for a couple of hours where the affable manager, Murat Gunduz plies you with tangy apple tea while you decide between the tulip shaped jug and the jigsaw-tiled tray.

iconic DESIGN
Caught in a time warp while piecing together fragments of history...

Absorbing Istanbul is like slowly turning the pages of a richly illustrated history manual. Wherever you wander, a moment from the past confronts you mid step, whether a mosque, a museum, a church, or an ancient passage linking two modern boulevards. And though hundreds of these are scattered across the city, a few deserve closer inspection, especially during a weekend break. We drive across to the precincts of?Sultanahmet Square and find ourselves being jostled by crowds of ‘Tour Istanbul’ faithfuls whom we dutifully follow to TOPKAPI PALACE, opulent residence of the Sultans of yore for 400 years. An Imperial Gate opens out to four courtyards dotted with structures erected during different eras, yet bearing an uncanny synergy with the others. It is a hot, hot day and not even white skirts, white tees and wide-brimmed hats can keep the sun at bay, so we all escape to the large, cool rooms, all gilt mirrors and gold tapestry, where the holy areas are decorated with Chinese blue tiles, signifying God above (sky) and the sea below. Must-sees? The 86-carat diamond that once adorned a royal turban and the historic harem. Back at the square, we pop into the BLUE MOSQUE through the tourist entrance since this is a working mosque and the only one worldwide with six minarets which receives its name from the Iznik tiles that form much of the interior. The ceiling itself is lined with 20,000 of them. Brainchild of Ottoman architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, the mosque, largest in Istanbul, was commissioned in the 17th century by19-year-old Sultan Ahmet I to outshine the neighbouring HAGIA SOPHIA.

The latter, widely acknowledged as one of the magnificent buildings of the world, was a Byzantine church in its former avatar built by Roman emperor, Constantine the Great and reconstructed in the 6th century. It became a mosque in 1453 and is today a museum, resplendent with gold mosaics and marble pillars. A tunnel under the edifice leads straight into Topkapi Palace! South west of Hagia Sophia, is the YEREBATAN CISTERN, which had it not been for dedicated restoration, would have melted into oblivion. We gingerly descend the 50 stone steps surrounded by over 300 marble columns seemingly rising out of the still waters. The attention-getter? Two enormous heads of the snake-haired Medusa, one inverted, used as column bases. With a capacity of storing 100,000 tonnes of water, the cistern in its time, met the water needs of the palace and residents in the area. Bit smelly, but worth a visit.

DOLMABAHCE PALACE, on the edge of the Bosphorus, is the stuff of a Sultan’s dreams which became a reality. Two hundred and eighty five rooms, 43 salons and a four and a half ton crystal chandelier with 750 lamps. There’s even a changing-of-the-guard ritual in keeping with the fascination for European opulence for this is where the imperial family moved to in 1856 from the medieval Topkapi Palace. The palace, boasting a half-km shoreline is where the last six Sultans resided and the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk died. Since we are treading on foot, paths created for horses, we decide we need reflexology therapy on an urgent basis but agreeing to forgo the 16th century CEMBERLITAS HAMAM for a more luxuriant, private experience, we head towards the marbled interiors of the Ciragan Palace favouring five-star cool for historic decadence!

plane TRUTHS
35000 feet up in the air enveloped by five-star comfort...

TURKISH AIRLINES knows that time is a valuable asset so even though we are a fairly chilled-out group, not averse to airport pottering, we are whisked off with efficient zeal through gates and procedures, served an aromatic coffee in the lounge and once on board, led to our ergonomic seats, pre-booked of course. Moist hot towels and sparkling wine await. Breakfast from the chef’s den is an array of fresh fruit, meze platters, plump olives and more, served with warm, crusty breads. There’s a special menu for dieters but we’re all off ours at the moment. Meal service over, we are spoilt for choice. Should we listen to old favourites from an extensive music archive or should we flip channels and watch as many movies as we can before touchdown? Should we catch up on our daily reading with the pick of publications available or finally open the novel at the page bookmarked about three months ago? Should we study culture and tour guide, Skylife carefully and change our itinerary for something more exciting? Should we play a competitive video game with the kid on the next seat and risk losing? Or should we succumb to that moment of guilt (duty if you prefer) and complete the office project on the laptop? Turkish Airlines even has arrangements for sending electronic mail during flight. Drat, now the office will never be out of reach!

We make a collective pact. Adjusting our seat backs, foot rests and soft pillows just so, elbows out, without touching another’s, we slink further down into our seats, wrap ourselves in blankets and just before we shut out the travelling world with eyeshades, I come upon a valuable nugget. If you become an Elite Card member on the airline’s Miles & Smiles programme, you get an extra 20 kilos of baggage allowance!

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