訪問日時：2010年5月7日午前10時頃
This day is practically the last sightseeing. This is the last day of our long trip to France and Turkey. We started the day at Dolmabahce Palace. I heard a rumor that there was an admission limit, so I arrived there one hour before. We decided to wait for a while.
This palace is located in Beşiktaş district, the northeast suburb of the new city. It’s a little bit far from the old town if you go there on foot, so I took the tram. By the way, if you want to take a tram, you need to buy a token which can be used in common with subway. They are usually sold at shops near the tram stop.
By the way, I got on first. While I was waiting for a while, I was surprised to see a group of about 20 Turks suddenly approaching! What is it? I thought « What? But it was only a few words of Japanese.
When I let go of them well (in English), I heard that they were a group of students from a city called Konya. The person who spoke to me was a teacher there. He asked me some questions about Japan, especially about my camera (I have a CANON SLR) and about my religion. What is your religion? » they ask. I’ve been traveling around a lot, but this is the first time I’ve been asked this question.
But not particularly in a dignified manner. That is the characteristic of Japanese. That’s the characteristic of Japanese. They seemed to have expected such an answer, and they looked at me like « Oh, that’s typical Japanese.
While we were talking about it, it was 10 o’clock and the gate opened. We went inside immediately.
It is a relatively new historical building in Istanbul, and very beautiful because it was still used in the 20th century. The atmosphere is not very Islamic but very European.
Now let’s go inside. This is a guided tour with a limited number of people. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside…
You’ll have to put up with the cat at the entrance.
The inside was very gorgeous. I was surprised that they could build such a luxurious palace at the end of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.
I was able to go outside again to enjoy the interior fully.
Then we went to the exit again. There was a huge queue! It was a good decision to come first thing in the morning.
さあお次はどちらへ行こうかな…。（続く）
