Bosphorus Cruise

I hope everyone is having a relaxing break and is getting excited for Istanbul! 5 days!

Although I am excited about the whole experience in general, one thing that I am most looking forward to is the Bosphorus Cruise. The cruise takes place through the Boshporus Strait which separates the European and Asian sections of Turkey. We will all be able to say that we were in two places at once!

 While on the cruise we will be able to see many amazing sights and landmarks, including six Ottoman palaces.The first palace that we will see from the water is the Topkapi Palace, which we will have already seen the inside of on one of our previous days. We will also get to see Selimiye Barracks where Florence Nightingale worked. Some of the other palaces that we will get to see include the Dolmabahce Palace, which we also get to visit another day, the Ciragan Palace, the Yildiz Palace, and the Beylerbeyi Palace. We will also get to pass under the Bosphorus Bridge, opened in 1973. We will also get to see Cengelkoy, a picturesque Bosphorus village.

From our ferry we will be able to see the Rumeli Hisari, or the Fortress of Europe which was built in 1452 under orders of Mehmet the Conqueror. Bosphorus University shares the hillside with the fortress.  The sixth palace that we will get to see on our Boshporus Cruise Kucuksu Kasri, the Sweet Waters of Asia.



Rumeli Hisari

I am excited for the Bosphorus Cruise because we will be able to see a variety of sights and get a brief overview of that area of Turkey. Although this is more of a sightseeing adventure rather than an indepth study of these locations, it allows us to see different aspects of the past and various types of architecture. We will be able to see the modernization of the area by comparing the older sights to the newer structures.

The Dolmabahçe Palace

Hello, everyone! I hope preparations to head back to Elon are going well, and that you're all as excited as I am while getting ready for Istanbul!

The Dolmabahçe Palace

One place that we are visiting that I am looking forward to is the Dolmabahçe Palace. It was built between 1843 and 1856 on the Bosphorus Strait. Abdülmecid I, the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ordered the palace to be built because the official palace of the sultanate at the time, the Topkapı Palace, was rather outdated. It was used as the official administrative palace for the Ottoman Empire (except between 1887 and 1909) until the Republic of Turkey was founded and the capital moved to Ankara. Even so, Atatürk still used the Dolmabahçe Palace as his summer home. 

The Crystal Staircase

Not only am I excited to visit this palace because of its unique history, but also just glancing through pictures online, it is extremely stunning in architecture and design. All of the original decorations, furniture, curtains, and carpets are still intact. Additionally, the Dolmabahçe Palace is where the famous Crystal Staircase made of Baccarat crystal is located. In fact, the Dolmabahçe is home to the world's largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers, including the world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier. Overall, the palace just sounds very beautiful as the walls and ceilings are covered with paintings by famous artists of that time, and in all the important rooms and halls the furnishings are differing shades of the same color. 

The Deathbed of Atatürk

Additionally, the room where Atatürk died is located in the Dolmabahçe Palace. When he died, every single clock in the entire palace was manually stopped and set at the time of his death, 9:05am. Although, most of the clocks in the palace have since been changed to different times, the clock in the room where Atatürk died is still set to 9:05. 

I am very excited to visit this exquisite palace, as well as everywhere else on the itinerary, and I've loved reading all the blog posts. See y'all soon! 

(Information taken from: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolmabah%C3%A7e_Palace
http://english.istanbul.gov.tr/Default.aspx?pid=356)