The Book Club discussion

Use this thread for comments through the third chapter: Pera (93 - 163), ~70 pp.

"Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah overlooks the magnificent view of the Golden Horn and is located in Tepebaşı district of Pera once known as the “Little Europe”. Historically named Pera, today’s dynamic lively Beyoğlu is the historical, cultural and social city centre of Istanbul. In addition to its historic grandeur, Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah is also preferred due its central location. It is in walking distance to the city centre (Taksim), five km to the Old City, 3 km to the harbor and 5 minutes walking distance to Şişhane subway station."

http://www.jumeirah.com/Hotels-and-Re...

Agatha Christie Room: http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and...

Allusion from text (Chap. 3, p. 105): (view spoiler)[

“It’s the layers,” Leon said. “Take here, where we’re standing. The Orient Express built it. So their passengers would have somewhere to stay. Somewhere grand. With all the latest.” “Here?” she said, taking in the faded room. “The height of elegance then. Like the train. The dining room at Sirkeci has the same look. This was Pera in those days, the European quarter. All the embassies, until they moved to Ankara. Just across the bridge from the Ottoman city. Except all of it was Ottoman, really. For five hundred years. Before that, the hill was Genoese, a trading concession from the Byzantines. They built the tower. The Byzantines lasted a thousand years. You can probably see their shipyards from your room. All along the Horn. Istanbul is like that. You’re always standing on layers.”

Kanon, Joseph (2012-05-29). Istanbul Passage. (p. 105). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

(hide spoiler)]

http://pera.themarmarahotels.com/take...

Has a couple of spectacular panoramic views of the city at dusk. Otherwise, a quick flip through the hotel photos shows the city from various angles through the windows in several of the shots. After a certain number of these sites, one begins to feel as one might recognize the city's layout if one were ever to visit, but not sure about that.... D. may be able to comment.

1)Beyoğlu, a district in Istanbul that used to be called Pera

2)Galata, a neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, often referred to as Pera in the past

These two comments are from Wiki. Haven't sorted them out yet relative to our book. Will have to do a bit of re-reading. In the meantime, for our confusion....

http://www.sirkecikonak.com/en/location

Has a map showing the location of the Marmara Sea. Also, a nice photo of one of the mosques (Haggia Sophia? I'm not sure.)

I presume that peninsula is what is called the Golden Horn, but will try to confirm in another post.

I find 10 references to Sirkeci in our text: pages 13 (2), 22, 54, 72, 105, 187, 241, 363, 373.

"Famous as the terminating point for the Orient Express, Sirkeci remains one of the main travel hubs for Istanbul, connecting suburban train, tram and ferry systems. The Sirkeci Station of the Turkish State Railways is the terminating node of the European railway network leading into Istanbul, the two main lines from Thessaloniki, Greece and Bucharest, Romania. Moreover, this is the terminal of the suburban railway line leading to Halkalı along the Marmara shore...."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirkeci