Istanbul

Today we toured the Sultan’s Palace, to get a taste of the royal lifestyle. It’s also right near our hotel, so it made for a leisurely Saturday.

We wandered inside the Harem, which is sadly not the sight of mindless orgies, but rather just where the royal family lived. The sultan’s mother actually controlled which of his concubines he could actually sleep with, which sounds like a terrible plan. Still, it did ensure an uninterrupted dynasty for close to a thousand years. We also saw their incredible trove of treasures, including a sweet jewel encrusted dagger.

Then we took a nap on the palace grounds, undisturbed by any officials. Eventually we summoned up the strength to wander the archaeological museum. Of particular interest was a 4th century bc sarcophagus with incredible relief of Alexander the Great, as well as some excellent Sumerian stuff. They also had findings from Troy, although I couldn’t remember which layer the city from the Illiad was supposed to be. I think it was VII, which had Greek contact and was destroyed by fire. Good enough for Schleimann, good enough for us.

After our rough day, we felt the need to try a traditional Turkish bath, to really get that royal experience. The bath that’s closest to us was designed by Sinan (the royal architect, contemporaneous with Leonardo and Michelangelo) for the sultan mother. While I’ve been to a Russian bath house before, this was an experience unlike any other. Never before have I been soaped up, scrubbed down, and rubbed out by a naked man. He made me hurt in ways I didn’t know I could. And I loved it. Waddled home feeling my joints loose, but cleaner than ever before.