Finally, today was the day we would see Topkapi Palace! Rob and I had been reading about it, and were jazzed to get the day started. We took the tram over to Sultanahmet nice and early and arrived at the Palace. We were very surprised at how many people were in line already! We realised shortly afterward that today Aya Sofya was closed so there was probably overflow from disappointed tourists who now needed something else to occupy their time. It's the kind of tourist busy that puts a bit of a damper on my excitement to see and explore. When there are so many people milling around and posing for pictures and making queues, I get distracted from the beauty of the place we're visiting. I think I had set my expectations a little too high, however, before entering the palace grounds. It was cool, don't get me wrong, but it seemed like it didn't hold as much old, antiquated wonder as some of the other places we'd been to. It seemed, well, too well kept up.
When we arrived, Rob and I spent the first half hour trying to avoid the crowds. When we realized that we weren't seeing anything at all that way, we braved the tempest and tried to keep an open mind. Topkapi Palace was the official and primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans within the city for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and a bunch of smaller buildings. 
At one time, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people and covered a larger area with a long shoreline. It held mosques, a hospital, bakeries, and a mint. The complex is guarded by armed guards of the Turkish military, which was pretty crazy. The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry. 
I think my favourite part was the Ottoman treasure and jewelry. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures, so I had gather a few examples from the internet. It was really difficult to take the time to see the pieces well, however, while in the treasury rooms. There were so many tourists (it took us a good 15-20 minutes just to get in to see) and the crowd was so thick that you literally had seconds to glimpse the treasures, kind of like trying to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. However, it was still really cool. They have some pretty amazing pieces there, including the Spoonmakers Diamond, an 86 carat (17 g) pear-shaped diamond surrounded by a double row of 49 old mine-cut diamonds and it absolutely glows. Believe me, it's well spotlighted, and it hangs in a glass case on the wall of one of the rooms of the treasury with tourists absolutely flocked around it. Another cool piece (and Rob's favourite) was the Emerald Dagger. One side of the handle of the dagger is set with three large Colombian emeralds whose size gave the dagger its popular name. The beautifully crafted jewel-studded dagger was actually one of several other valuable gifts that was carried by an embassy of Sultan Mahmud I (1730-54) to Iran, to be gifted to the mighty Iranian conqueror Nadir Shah. Unfortunately, the gifts were not delivered as Nadir Shah was assassinated, and the gifts, including the jewel-studded dagger, were then returned to the treasury at Istanbul. It eventually became one of the most celebrated treasures in the treasury of the Topkapi Palace Museum. Apparently it's so popular that they made a heist movie about it in the 60's called "Topkapi". Check it out:There are also two large golden candleholders, each weighing 48 kg and mounted with 6,666 cut diamonds, a present of Sultan Abdülmecid I to the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca, and a bunch of other really cool pieces of jewelry, ceramics and bejewelled armor.
We also saw the Privy Chamber. It houses the Chamber of the Sacred Relics, which includes the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. It holds what are considered to be "the most sacred relics of the Muslim world", including the cloak of the prophet Muhammad, two swords, a bow, one tooth, a hair of his beard, his battle sabres, an autographed letter and other relics which are known as the Sacred Trusts: The Staff of Moses, the sword of King David, the turban of Joseph and Fatima al-Zahra's mantle. This gallery of relics is a hot spot for many Muslims who make a pilgrimage to just see these antiquated specimen. The hair and tooth and stuff seemed a little weird to me, but historically, if all of these pieces are actually what they claim to be, then there's a pretty cool little chunk of the past hanging out in that Privy Chamber.
There were also some really great places to stop and look out over the Bosphorus (including one of the gigantic cruise ships that stop here), and some very nice rooms in some very nice buildings, including the Imperial Council room and the Tower of Justice, but the Palace kitchen and the stables were closed, and you had to pay extra to see the Harem. Rob and I had pretty much had enough of the crowds by now and decided to head out into the open again.
We had decided the day before that we were going to take a tour on the City Sightseeing bus that stops just outside of the Palace. Rob and I bought our tickets and some Simit bread to share, and hopped on the double decker bus. They gave us ear buds so we could plug in to the automated tour guide. I'd never taken a sightseeing bus before, so it was cool to be able to drive around the city while being provided with some super interesting information. Of course, in between bouts of information, they played some Turkish music ranging from pop to reggae to traditional... I think there were about eight songs in all, and between each tidbit of info, they'd restart a song. So, we got to hear the first minute or so of eight songs... over and over... and over again! 
However, the sights were really amazing! The whole area is so full of hills that there's absolutely no chance for any kind of grid system at all. We wound up and down and around, on ramps and off ramps and over and under bridges... but we really got a good feel for the city, including views of the streets and trams, ships in the Bosphorus, and a rooftop full of seagulls across from the Fish Market (pee-yew).
The coolest thing, in my opinion, was the crumbling ramparts that circle the old city. We drove along the outside of old city wall, called the Walls of Constantinople, listening to the commentary about the history behind it all. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of ancient times, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built.It was first built by Constantine the Great, and the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the Theodosian Walls were built in the 5th century and although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, when well manned, they were almost impossible to breech for any medieval siege. They saved the city (and the Byzantine Empire) during sieges from the Avars, Arabs, Rus', and Bulgars, among others. However, gunpowder siege cannons were a little more of a match and led to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 after a large and lengthy siege.
The walls remained mostly intact during the Ottoman period, until sections began to be destroyed in the 19th century, as the city outgrew its medieval boundaries. Despite the subsequent lack of maintenance, many parts of the walls survived and are what we got to check out during our tour. A huge restoration program has apparently been under way since the '80s, which I think is essential because it would be a huge shame to lose these incredible old fortifications. Super cool.
While on the tram home, we decided to take the Tünel back to Taksim Square, since getting off at the tram stop meant that we'd have to walk up what we've affectionately named the Death Hill. It's not so bad going down (you just have to watch out for the run-off... it's a soapy film running down the street which acts just like ice.) But walking up, after a long day... sometimes you've just gotta bite the bullet and take the Tünel, even if it costs an extra few Lira. It's a kind of lift, like an up-hill subway car with a track that's just over half a kilometer and drops you off at the top of a 60 meter hike. What's even cooler? The Tünel is the second-oldest subway line in the world, after the London Underground. It was opened in 1875 to provide an easy ride between the two neighborhoods of Pera (the area we were in) and Galata, both in the new district of Istanbul on the hill north of the Golden Horn. Many people used to work in the low Galata, and live uphill in Pera, and the Tünel spared them from the Death Hill Hike.
On our way back to our apartment, we bought groceries for dinner, as well as a bottle of Turkish Raki to celebrate our last night in Turkey. If you like Ouzo or Sambuca, (or black licorice), then you'll love Raki. Traditionally, you can drink it straight or diluted with some water (for the weak of stomach/heart), but apparently you can mix it in a cocktail with Orange liqueur, lemon juice and pomegranate juice... We just drank it straight, and raised many toasts. Serefinize! (sheh-REHF-ee-nee-ZEH, "In your honor!")
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