2014 Biking Turkey Daily Snippet

22 October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi Apartment 53TL

We began our day breakfasting with a Turkish friend at the Van Kahvalti Evi then took in an exhibition of Chinese ink paintings housed in the renovated 15th century cannon foundry from which our neighbourhood Tophane (meaning armoury) got its name. From Karaköy near the Galata bridge we took the Tϋnel funicular up the hill to the south end of Istiklal Street. Inaugurated in 1875, the 573m line is the second-oldest subterranean rail in the world after the London Underground (1863). We paid a visit to Room 101 at the Pera Palace Hotel, now a small museum commemorating Atatϋrk’s occupation of the suite. The hotel was built in 1892 to host Orient Express passengers and was “... the first building in Turkey to be powered by electricity, other than the Ottoman Palaces. It was also the only address in the city to provide hot running water for its guests and was home to the first electric elevator in Istanbul” (Wikipedia). Then to the Pera Museum to see the Osman Hamdi Bey “Tortoise trainer” painting. An added bonus? Two additional exhibits: “Anatolian weights and measures” and “Coffee Break”. Loved the names of weights and measures: mana, shekel, libra, kantar, men, kirat, okka, parmak, nokta, kutu... A lovely day.