Ashley Renee Perry: Greatness

To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but believe. - Anatole France

I saw this quote and fell in love with it. I believe every person no matter their background, circumstance, or how unlucky they think they are has the ability to make great things happen. There is a time and place for everything, each persons moment of greatness comes at different times and in different forms.

With that said I want to tell you all about my weekend of GREAT sightseeing. The weather has been perfect for day trips all over Istanbul and I had a wonderful time with my friend Catherine exploring Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahçe Palace.

On Saturday we took a stroll down to Besiktaç which was alive with people enjoying the beautiful afternoon sun. We showed up at the palace entrance and thank god the line was not awful because the weather took a turn and it sprinkled on us while we were waiting.

This picture is the entrance to the Palace.

Quick history lesson: Dolmbahçe Palace was built in 1856 by Sultan Abdüı Mecıt. The Palace was only available for tours. You are not allowed to see it without a tour guide AND unfortunately for me there is NO PHOTOS of the inside area. Which was a huge bummer since it gorgeous on the inside. We only went on the Selamlık part of the tour that only visited the part of the palace reserved for men only, the state room and the ceremonial hall.

Again I was super bummed that there was a no photo policy, we actually saw what happens to those who try and sneak photos. This guy in front of us did it and was immediately reprimanded, his camera was taken, the photos were deleted and he got a talking to by some security people. So don't try it. The first room we were taken to was the Red Room which is where ambassadors would be received by the Sultan. Next was the Crystal Staircase, the staircase is very fragile and has a large crystal chandelier hanging through the center as well as crystal hand rails. We went through the Panorama room, the blue room, the pink room, the white room, and then Atatürks Bedroom and personal baths. All clocks in the Palace are stopped at the time he died. 9:05am. The decorations and the designs of all the different rooms are hard to explain. One common theme was paintings all over the walls. One of the rooms, either the blue or the white, I forget. Had columns painted on the walls in a mirage that made you think you could keep walking through the wall. The ceilings were also painted in this mirage fashion to make them seem larger then they really were. Then there was the ceremonial room. It was designed to hold 2500 people it holds the worlds heaviest chandelier, all crystal with some 700 lights on it. The paintings on the walls of this hall were also made to make it seem like there was no wall at all. They continue up the dome and make it seem like there is seating up there, where you would observe but obviously not its a paining. Then the tour was over, and we exited out of the Palace through a door leading to the seaside terrace where this next photo was taken.

Obviously there were tons of Tulips and these I call the Sultans tulips cause not only are they more unique then the regular tulips but they are on almost all ceramic paintings and tiles that were in both palaces. They are so pretty.

The next day, Sunday, we went to a lovely brunch with the Foregin Girls of Istanbul group that we are a part of. It was by the Galata tower, a gorgeous little cafe called Privatto Café. It had a great view of the tower and was off the beaten path a little so it seemed somewhat more personal. They served us a great breakfast of bread, cheese, and fruit/yogurt mixes with orange juice and coffee. Then Catherine and I went to Topkapi palace in Sultanahmet.

Short History Lesson: Topkapi Palace was built between 1459-1465 by Mehmet II after his conquest of Constantinople. It was his residence but it was also used as the seat of governement. In 1853 this Palace was abandonded for the new Dolmbahçe Palace.

This is a great place for a picnic. The court yard is free for people to come and enjoy the park, its trees, birds flying in and out of birdhouses and of course the sunshine and tulips. It was warmer then it seemed and so it was a great mix of inside and outside sight seeing. There was a portion of the palace which would not allow photos, again somewhat of a bummer but all my photos of the outside turned out lovely! It was mostly walking around and enjoying the architecture of the building as well as seeing the treasury which, omg was to die for! Everything was solid gold, and encrusted with gems of every color. There was jewelry, cradles, jugs, plates, armor, knifes, china sets anything you could think of was there and encrusted with jewels. There was even a Koran cover decorated with rubies and emeralds. The views outside the palace were just as breathe taking. I can see why this was the spot chosen for the palace. There is a panoramic view of all of Istanbul since its up on a hill, and then out on the tip of a peninsula. So when we were on the terrace (which was very windy) we could see the Marmara Sea, the Princes Islands, the bridge, Galata tower, the aya sohpia, and more!

It was quite the experience.

Here are some more photos, that are self explanitory. They are either the outside of rooms, or the entrance to halls.Some paintings and also more tile/ceramic art!!

This is called the circumcision room: