(Part 7) Traversing Turkey: Istanbul Between Continents and Royal Tombs

- Dec. 29, 2019, Sunday.

- Being in Istanbul may cause some visitors as it is the perfect city to see an embodiment of both "Asian" and "European" qualities. Not only is it geographically located between continents, but its history and culture also show a slow-cooked fusion of both continents. To me, some aspects of its Asianness can be seen in its traditions and values as well as its Islamic legacy, while some aspects of its Europeanness are shown in its use of the Latin alphabet, its Greek and Byzantine remnants, and some European-style buildings.

- That morning, we visited the Dolmabahce Palace, which is an interesting contrast to the Topkapi Palace that we visited the day before (see here). The Dolmabahce ("dol-ma-ba-cheh") Palace was built in the 1800s by Sultan Abdulmecid I as a contemporary counterpart to the old Topkapi Palace. This newer palace was built in the northern part of Istanbul's European side, in the district of Besiktas ("be-shik-tash") and was made to look like a European palace! It is interesting to note that the 1800s was also a time when the Ottoman Empire wanted to learn and be at par with Europe, so the influx of European influences (including the shift from the use of the Arabic Alphabet to a slightly altered Latin alphabet) during this century came in waves. Despite this openness to European influences, the Ottoman Empire was still firm in asserting its Ottoman identity and Ottoman nationalism. (The nearest tram station is Kabatas ("ka-bah-tash") but you'll need to walk for around 10 minutes. The more convenient way to reach the palace is through taxi, though you must note that the traffic situation in Istanbul isn't that good.)

Clock tower outside the palace.

At the palace entrance.

European-style arch.

The main courtyard's fountain. (Sorry, no photography inside the palace.)

Side gate.

At the side gate.

- Most of the palace exterior has a nice view of the Bosphorus Strait, overlooking the Asian side of Istanbul. This explains why this palace was a lot windier than the Topkapi Palace.

Exterior of the main hall.

It reminds me of Hawaii's Iolani Palace, although this one is a lot bigger.

Gate to the Bosphorus.

- Just a minute's walk from the palace is the dock where people can take cruises along the Borphorus Strait. Our tour group, of course, had a cruise too, and it took around one very windy hour. Some sites along the cruise include the Ortakoy Mosque or the "Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdulmecid," the Rumelihisari (Rumeli Fortress), and its smaller Asian brother, the Anadoluhisari (Anatolian Fortress.)

The Dolmabahce Palace from the Bosphorus.

Ortakoy Mosque.

Hatice Sultan Palace.

Another view of the Ortakoy Mosque.

Rumeli Fortress.

Anadolu Fortress.

Maiden's Tower (Kiz Kulesi,) built in the Byzantine period probably as a ship dock.

- After the cruise that (literally) blew me away, we had lunch at old town of Sultanahmet. After lunch, my family bid farewell to the rest of the tour group as they were on their way to another shopping escapade before heading to the airport. My family, on the other hand, had a few more days to explore Istanbul on our own. We checked in our hotel, which coincidentally was just at the street beside the restaurant where we had lunch, rested for a bit, and headed out to explore.

- The afternoon we visited the Suleymaniye Mosque, located a few blocks away from the Bayezit tram stop (the Grand Bazaar stop.) Built in the 1500s by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, this mosque is well-known today as the resting place of Sultan Suleyman, some of his children, and his favorite concubine-turned-legal-wife, Hurrem Sultan. Suleyman the Magnificent is one of the Ottoman Empire's most respected rulers as he was not only the longest-reigning sultan, but also the sultan responsible for further expanding the empire. Hurrem on the other hand was a Crimean girl named Roxelana and was captured by Ottoman soldiers before being sold to the Topkapi Palace. She quickly and surely caught the attention of Suleyman and became his favorite (later bearing the title "Haseki Sultan.") She was given the name Hurrem after converting to Islam from Christianity. Hurrem started an era called the "Sultanate of Women" as she was the first among many strong female figures in the Ottoman dynasty who had significant influence over political decisions which women were not supposed to mind. She was also the first to be legally married to a sultan, as Ottoman sultans were only allowed to have concubines, but not wives. These big changes during the life and times of Suleyman the Magnificent and Hurrem were so controversial and to an extent, inspiring, that their lives were the subject of interest of many films and TV series, including the multi-awarded TV series that I am a big big big fan of, "Magnificent Century" ("Muhtesem Yuzyil,") which aired from 2011 to 2014.

Suleymaniye Mosque.

Dome of the main hall.

Main prayer hall.

Finally, I'm seeing you face to face!! (Or at least, your casket.)

Left to right: Mihrimah Sultan, Sultan Ahmed II, Sultan Suleyman II

Left to right: Hanim Sultan, Prince Mehmed, Hurrem Sultan.

Hurrem Sultan.

View from the hill.

- After descending from the hill where the Suleymaniye Mosque stood, I explored some of the shops around the Grand Bazaar, as the bazaar itself is closed on Sundays. We also had an early dinner to have more time to rest at night after a week of jumping from one Turkish city to another. Since we had more time to explore Istanbul in the coming days, I was excited to see what else this city had to offer!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here

(Part 6) The Land Called The Netherlands: Around Amsterdam Again

- July 14, 2019, Sunday.

- Though Amsterdam's main attractions can pretty much be covered in a day (click here), I can assure you that there is so much to explore even within the city center! There are small museums on anything you can imagine, art galleries with new and famed artists, and other experiences that can make your visit to Amsterdam more worthwhile.

- On our last day in Amsterdam, we had a more relaxed day after several days of traveling outside Amsterdam. We paid for our breakfast buffet at the hotel as a small reward for seeing so many things in the past few days, and it was a good change from the usual croissant-and-juice breakfast we'd usually have since we were always in a hurry to catch an early train out of Amsterdam (so this is a tip: try to find hotels that have a separate breakfast fee from the room fee if you're like me who always likes to catch an early train out of the city. I usually catch a train way before my hotel's breakfast hall opens, so if I would paid for my breakfast beforehand, I'd just be throwing away money! If you pay for breakfast separately, that is, if you wish to avail your hotel's breakfast services, you'll save a lot of money! However, if in case you are absolutely sure that you'll be eating breakfast at your hotel everyday, by all means, go ahead and pay in advance as there might be some promos if you pay it together with your room fee and so on.)

A typical Dutch breakfast: bread, some butter, and hagelslag ("hailstorm"; refers to the chocolate sprinkles.) 

- After breakfast, we rode on the tram to Koningsplein stop (trams 2, 11, or 12) to see the Dutch Costume Museum (Het Klederdrachtmuseum.) It is a fairly new museum, being established only in 2016, inside a really old 17th-century building. It houses a wide array of costumes from the different parts of the Netherlands. The best part about this museum is that there is a photo studio at the basement where you can have your photo taken wearing a traditional costume from the fishing town of Volendam (and you'll also get to see this kind of  "cultural" photo studio in case you plan to visit Volendam, though we didn't visit Voldendam for this trip to the Netherlands.) The photo studio will ask you to pay a certain amount, and for that you'll be able to wear a traditional costume, have one copy printed out, but they're also kind enough to send the rest of the other photos to your e-mail, so I guess that's a bargain if you're interested in this kind of cultural experience.

You'll see this.

I intentionally placed that headdress on my head HAHA.

Costume from Urk.

Costume from Marken.

Zeeland costume. (Yes, New Zealand was named after the Netherlands' Zeeland.)

My turn!! Wearing a traditional Volendam-style costume.

- It was a bummer when the rain decided to pay Amsterdam a visit that morning, and it nearly spoiled the next thing that we had planned to do. Most travel guides would suggest doing a canal cruise in Amsterdam. My mom and I chose the Lovers Canal Cruise 1.5-hour cruise since it was the cheapest that we found, and its boats had roofs over them (this is way cheaper and more worth it than an overpriced gondola ride in Venice, Italy!!); it was still raining and as much as I wanted to have a roofless boat, it wasn't practical at that time. Most canal cruises can be found outside Amsterdam Centraal, Kaizergracht, and other random stops depending on the company. You can find ticket stalls and inquire details from them. Based on my experience, the canal cruise was actually not as overrated as I originally thought. Apart from the cool experience of sailing down Amsterdam's various canals, the audio guide also told us stories about the canals, some buildings facing the canals, and the houseboats that lined the canal banks. I was glad that it didn't so hard, so I was at least still able to enjoy the view even though the skies were gray.

Canal cruise (do you notice my wooden clog necker slide?)

Singel, the most prominent canal. The big building on the left is the Round Lutheran Church (Ronde Lutherse Kerk.)

Our boat sort of looks like this. This is another Lovers Canal Cruise boat.

Househoats are apparently a thing in Amsterdam. People really live inside boats rather than the usual houses on land. 

Hi Goofy!!

- After having lunch at a Syrian restaurant as a small celebration for finally doing one of the most touristy things ever (i.e. the canal cruise,) we rode the tram to Spui stop (trams 2, 11, or 12) to visit the Amsterdam Museum. Originally opened in the early 1900s, though it only moved to its current location in 1975 at a 16th-century orphanage, this museum sought to educate people on the history of Amsterdam. I like a lot of things about this museum, but one thing that doesn't sit well with me is the confusing layout of the museum. Not sure if it was because it was an old building, but to summarize how confused I was with the museum's layout: it was a maze. It was especially difficult for my mom who cannot walk too much because of her age.

It's a really nice museum, but be warmed about its maze-like layout.

So many portraits of Dutch noblemen!!

With my Dutch burgher friends.

Dresses from way back when as part of the museum's fashion exhibit.

This wooden Goliath statue, around 9 feet, used to belong to an old "amusement park." Its eyes could move!!

- Finally, we had one last walk around Dam Square, taking a peek inside the Nieuwe Kerk, before calling it a day. If you ask me, if was more of a "goodbye walk" to Amsterdam as I don't know when I'll have the chance to go back to the Netherlands.

Inside Nieuwe Kerk

A puppet show in the middle of Dam Square. The kid looks very happy!!

No edits whatsoever. I was pleasantly shocked at how dramatic it turned out. HAHA.

- The Netherlands exceeded my expectations in all sorts of ways, especially on the simple yet glorious beauty of its cities, especially those away from the urban center of Amsterdam. It was hard to leave the Netherlands after a week's stay, but it was time to embark on a journey to it's neighbor down south - Belgium! 

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Part 1, Amsterdam: here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 3, The Hague/Den Haag: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Parts 1 and 5, Brussels: here, and here

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here

Part 4, Antwerp: here


LUXEMBOURG: here

Revisiting the Homeland (Part 1): Guangzhou's Old and New Icons

Prologue:

- After 5 years of stepping in China's soil (click here to see my last trip to China,) I finally had another opportunity to go back to my ancestors' land. This time, I got to visit two of the most visited places in China - Guangzhou in the south, and Beijing in the north. This trip was sponsored by the Ateneo de Manila University and the Hanban - Confucius Institute Headquarters. This school-related trip was a delegation of Ateneo's School of Social Sciences to China, with one representative chosen per department (fortunately, I got chosen by my department chair.) Our academic field trip was a "tours and talks" kind of thing; we were there not only to visit some of Guangzhou and Beijing's tourist spots, but we also had to visit universities and the Philippine Embassy in China to talk about China's "Belt and Road" (aka "One Belt, One Road") initiative.

The trip:

- May 28-29, 2017, Sunday-Monday.

- I got to the airport with cold sweat palms despite my excitement. I thought to myself that I could finally reconnect with my Chinese homeland, even though my ancestors came from a different Chinese province from the ones we'd be visiting. I had a some idea of what to expect, since I regularly encounter people from the mainland, but had a concoction of emotions while thinking about what I'd experience in China. I was mostly concerned with my visit to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and wished that those places won't fail my expectations of them, like the fist time I saw the Taj Mahal in India (click here to see.) 

Saw this in the airplane magazine. Didn't get to read the article because I chose to sleep instead. Haha. 

- It didn't take long for my colleagues and I to reach Guangzhou via China Southern Airlines. Since Guangzhou is in the far south of China, it only takes a good 2 to 2.5 hours to reach Guangzhou from Manila. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong, and the birthplace of everything Cantonese (after all, Guangdong, more particularly Guangzhou, was known as "Canton" by the Europeans traders.) Although Mandarin is the standard language, and is the preferred language especially in the downtown (where there may be people from other parts of China,) knowing some Cantonese will help too. For those used to the Hong Kong variant of Cantonese like me, it is more or less similar to the Cantonese used in Guangzhou, with some minor differences.

- After arriving at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, we were driven to Sun Yat Sen Kaifeng Hotel, where we stayed for 4 nights. This (really fancy!!) hotel is located inside the Sun Yat Sen University campus, and it located close to the northern gate of the university (the nearest subway, however, is located near the southern gate.)  

And I have the room all to myselffffffff!!

The Canton Tower seen from the bus.

The Canton Tower, well-lit, in the early evening.

- Since we arrived in the afternoon and had an early dinner, we had some time to see Guangzhou at night. What better way to do that than to enjoy a cruise along the Pearl River? There are several docks along the Pearl River, around two to three of them near the university, but we were driven to the main dock so we can hop on the bigger boat.

- The Pearl River, or Zhujiang, is one of the main rivers supplying water to Southern China. Today, some iconic bridges like the Liede Bridge connect the opposite banks of the river. The bridges and many buildings surrounding the bridges are also well-lit (sometimes too much color for one to handle,) making an evening cruise a perfect activity after dusk. If you ask me, it was also the perfect opening activity to our adventures in Guangzhou.

We rode on a boat like this one.

The Guangzhou International Finance Center (IFC) to the left, and the Canton Tower to the right.

Had to find my spot. There were simple too many people on board!!!!

Colorsss.

Liede Bridge.

An iconic shot - the Liede Bridge with the Canton Tower behind.

Angle.

It is rare for me to play around with my camera like this. Yes, this is still the Canton Tower.

The colorful Xinghai Concert Hall.

The big dock.

- The following day was supposed to be an opening ceremony inside the university, but because the government announced just a few days prior that the 29th and 30th are holidays to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, all our official visits to the universities were pushed back. Instead, out first three days were pure tours of Guangzhou.

- Our first stop for the day was Yuexiu Park. It is the largest park in downtown Guangzhou where people can also see remnants of Ming and Qing Dynasty structures. It is convenient located near the Yuexiu Park metro station.

- Being a huge park of more than 9 million square feet (~more than 800,000 sq.m.,) needless to say we weren't able to visit all the must-sees in the park, like the Zhenhai Tower which houses the Guangzhou Museum. The park isn't flat too, which means it has uphill and downhill paths and attractions, making it a bit difficult (or tiring) for some people especially during rainy days. At the very least, we did not miss the park's main go-to: the 5 Rams Sculpture. This statue, though only built not long ago in the 1960s, is the main emblem of Guangzhou. Legend says that thousands of years ago, Guangzhou suffered from famine and the 5 Immortals came to Earth and gave rice to the people of Guangzhou. The 5 rams/immortals turned to stone afterwards, and Guangzhou became a city of abundance.

5 Rams.

Cotton thingy. There were cotton-like plants (or maybe they were really cotton plants?) around the park.

"5 Rams Statue."

- Right across and a few steps right from the entrance of Yuexiu Park is the Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King. It can also be reached through the Yuexiu Park metro station. "Nanyue" means greater southern frontier, and comprises parts of today's Southern China and Vietnam. It is not a coincidence that "Vietnam" was derived from "Nanyue," or "Nam Viet" in Vietnamese. This museum houses relics, including the jade burial suit of King Zhao Mo, from 2nd century BC. What really frustrated me most during my visit to this museum was that I wasn't able to see the main highlight of the museum - the jade suit. I looked everywhere in the museum, but I couldn't find it. I asked my guide and she just said that it wasn't available. There was one gallery being renovated, and I am not sure if that is where the jade suit was supposed to be. (Well, at least this gives me more reason to go back to Guangzhou.)

Such majesty.

The museum facade. I like the red bricks.

An ancient pillow. I am really glad I am living in a time when pillow are soft.

I will also make a face like this if  I'm made to rest on really hard pillow like this one.

On the way to the tomb.

It was difficult to take pictures inside the tomb, so I just took a photo from above.

Emblem of the Nanyue Kingdom.

Yes, that's my hand.

How things have looked like before.

Lacquer room divider.

Former armor.

- Before lunch, we had a stop at the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, also known as the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum. It is reachable by riding the metro to the Chen Clan Academy metro station. This ancestral hall/museum/academy was not only the residence of people from the Chen clan, but also functioned as a school for the young people of the Chen Clan to prepare for the imperial civil service examinations during the late Qing Dynasty. Apart from the well-preserved structure itself, one can find carvings, pottery, and sculptures inside the halls.

The ancestral hall.

Roofs with guardians.

Intricate wood carving.

More detailed roofs.

A happy little lion and a happy little piglet.

The most adorable elephant I've seen.

In front of one of the giant doors.

Details on one of the ancestors' altars.

BLEUUUUGHHH.

It would be nice to have a house like this.

Momma lion in front of the main entrance.

- Quite near the Chen Clan Hall is the Liwan Lake Park. It is accessible through the Zhongshan Ba metro station, or the Changshou Road metro station. Although is a smaller park compared to Yuexiu Park, I personally enjoyed this multi-lake park more since it had a homier feel, as it seemed to have brought me back in time. I also chanced upon a traditional Cantonese operatic singing performance at the park square, which added to the traditional feel of the park. The history of Liwan, or Lychee Bay, goes back thousands of years, preceding Yuexiu Park, which explains why I liked this park more.

The biggest lantern I've seen.

Creeks here and there.

One of the lakes in the park.

Cantonese opera singing.

I love scenes like this one.

Thank you for cleaning the lakes.

Bridge and lotuses.

Old buildings.

Would have gone into the water if only I could afford to have time to dry myself afterwards.

Traditional boats.

Purple lotuses.

In one of the cultural halls 

There were fan painters inside.

How does my crown look?

For some reason, there was a Thai Erawan shrine in the park. It is similar to the Erawan shrine in the middle of Bangkok (click here.)

- After strolling through the park, it was time for one of my favorite touristy activities - shopping!! One of the best places to shop in the heart of Guangzhou is Shangxiajiu Street. It is accessible through the Changshou Road metro station as well, with a few minutes walk afterwards. Shangxiajiu Street, opened in 1995, is a combination of two streets: Shangjiu Street and Xiajiu Street. The whole stretch is mostly a pedestrian street for shopping. However, there are only one or two shops selling souvenir-type things, as most stores sell regular things like clothes, shoes, toys, accessories, or food. Haggling is not usually done in these stores since these stores are not bargain stores.

Hearts happy, wallets empty.

The main square.

It's hard to get lost: it's just one very long street that goes on both sides of the square.

Chinese ladies.

Shangxiajiu Street at night.

- Just when I thought my day was done, three of my former exchange students in the university visited me in the hotel. They took my history class here in the Philippines, but they are actually students of Sun Yat Sen University. Since my hotel was inside the school, it was convenient and easy for them to find my hotel. Despite that, I was still very thankful since they really made time for me, and they were determined to meet me during my short stay in Guangzhou.

- My students took me for a stroll along the Pearl River, and I saw that even at night, the banks of the river were full of life - children playing, oldies singing or doing taichi, lovers kissing, and friends laughing. My students and I caught up during that long walk, not noticing that we had reached the Canton Tower. The Canton Tower is a TV tower opened in 2010 that also acts as an observatory/sightseeing tower, like many tall towers across the world like Korea's N Seoul Tower or Japan's Tokyo Tower. One can reach the tower through the Canton Tower metro station. (As can be noticed by now, the metro stations are not only conveniently named, but also strategically placed.)

Thank you Miley, Elena, and Dido (now known as Danika)!!

The Canton Tower.

- My students and I did not go up the tower anymore, and decided to find a place to eat so we can have a more comfortable venue to talk more. We rode the metro back to the university, and found a small restaurant inside the campus that served grilled food. On top of that, my students also gave me a zongzi, also known as "sticky-rice dumplings" since it was going to be the Dragon Boat Festival the day after. These dumplings are filled with meat, nuts, sometimes with egg too. (I ate the zongzi the next morning since I was too full from my second dinner that night; the zongzi was slightly different from the ones we have here in the Philippines.)

These are just the first two plates of grilled food.

My zongzi.

- Guangzhou impressed me during my first two days in the city. I know there are more things to explore in the city, and I really do hope to go back to Guangzhou in the future, but I was also excited to find out about the treasures of Guangzhou beyond the downtown areas. Next stop: the outskirts of Guangzhou!! (Don't forget to read Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here!!)