The Tulip Festival

 Tulip Time in Istanbul

The arrival of Spring is greeted each year by a Tulip Festival. Great banks of brightly coloured tulips fill the flowerbeds in  public spaces and the major parks of Istanbul. 

Gulhane Park, formerly the royal garden to Topkapi Palace, has a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. The banks of  flowers make a delightful carpet of varied types and colours under the mighty ancient trees and flowering shrubs. 

Beyond the park there are glimpses of water: the Bosphorus busy with huge ships plying to and from the Black Sea; and the Golden Horn with ferries skimming across from north to south or up to Fener and Balat and then Eyup, the last stop, where you can take a cable car up to Pierre Loti's cafe. 

Part of Gulhane Park

Emirgan Park along with trees Situated at Sariyer on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait, this park was formerly a private estate. The site is hilly, with many cypress trees, a small lake and a waterfall. There are splendid views of the Bosphorus and the hills across the water on the Asian side of istanbul. 

In Spring, along with trees in blossom, the extensive flowerbeds provide a stunning display of tulips of every variety and colour.

Tulip Festival in Emirgan Park  [picure courtesy of Wikipedia]


The former wooden palace has long since disappeared but there are still three royal style pavilions- one pink, one yellow and one white

The Yellow Pavilion in Emirgan Park [picure courtesy of Wikipedia]

The Bosphorus Strait in the background

A hidden gem

 On the northern shore of the Golden Horn in Istanbul there is a hidden gem, set in a park with rare magnolia and pine trees. Dating back some three hundred years, it was once a huge royal summer palace with balconies overhanging the water. Now there is just one pavilion left, which is still undergoing restoration. This is the Aynalikavak Kasri, the Pavilion of the Mirrored Poplars.

The dome over the main reception room indicates that it was used for official meetings. Step inside to discover an opulent and distinctly oriental magnificence. The overall effect is stunning and closer examination shows how much time and attention was lavished on the details, as in the wall panels and window decoration.

                      

At the end of the Eighteenth century, Sultan Selim III liked to stay here. One room is called the Composition Room as he is thought to have worked on his music here.

He was a talented composer and in tribute to his contribution to Turkish music, this palace is now the State Music Museum, with a display of ancient instruments on the lower floor. There are occasionally open air concerts held here.

Istanbul - I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed:

Poem by Orhan Veli, recited by Cem Karaca

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed:
At first there is a gentle breeze
And the leaves on the trees
Softly sway;
Out there, far away,
I am listening to Istanbul.....

 Istanbul Dinliyorum [Orhan Veli, recited by Cem Karaca]