Istanbul Day #2

Kris here ... taking my turn at the blog. What a colorful city!! Today was a day of sights and sounds and tastes! We started off with our traditional breakfast of cheeses,olives, and Boerek... Phyllo dough filled with yummy mild cheese. Good thing I lost 10 pounds before I came on this trip!


Oya had arranged for us to have our own private tour of Istanbul today. We met up with Besim around 9 and caught a cab to the old town area. First on the agenda ... The Blue Mosque. Splendid architecture and an amazing history. I was prepared to cover my head, but I looked much too touristy so I just was told to take off my shoes!! Pictures below explain it well ...








Then we were led through Topkapi Palace. The first stage of this palace was begun shortly after 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror. Subsequent sultans lived in this unique environment until the 19th century. Martha and I decided it would be delightful to live in the Harem quarters with the magnificent view of the Bosphorus Strait. Ha Ha !!!!








Then it was off to lunch at a truly Turkish restaurant where we feasted on Kofte... a ground meat mixture with spices and it had potatoes in it as well . And .. Corona!!!!!!! We were very thirsty after 4 hours of walking and listening.

Following lunch we toured through the Basilica Cistern. Built by the Romans so the city had fresh water.... sometime around 476 ad and expanded in 532 ad ... 336 columns supported the above ground and water filled the room... Really amazing what those Romans could do!!!


One final stop on the days tour ... Hagia Sophia Museum. It started as a church and was changed into a Mosque In 1453. Amazing mosaic work and very awesome to realize it is the home of the fourth largest dome in the world. So much to share about these wonderful places, but my dinner awaits!!! Hopefully the pictures will tell of the grandeur we saw today.




And .... Our luggage has arrived in Istanbul...just awaiting delivery .... Woo - Hoo !!!!!



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Real Turks don't use towels

Our first day in Istanbul! Our flight was uneventful.... as flights go. We don't quite buy all the Turkish Airlines hype, but it could've been worse! It was a very warm flight and all beverages were served at room temp with no ice! Unfortunately, and largely due to some mishaps at LAX, our luggage did not arrive with us. It will arrive 48 hours after we did--meaning tomorrow night!



So, what should a couple of gals without fresh clothes do but shop!?!? We actually had a leisurely morning at home before shopping locally. We went to a local mall, where we had eaten dinner the previous night. You'll be glad to know there are local Starbucks as well as KFC, Burger King, TGI Fridays, Schlotsky's, Arby's and more! The only one earning our patronage was Starbucks!



Before going out for dinner, we were discussing Turkish baths, which led to today's title quote. Oya informed us that real Turks use a non-terrycloth towel akin to the flour sack dishtowel.



Dinner was at a waterfront seafood restaurant (to those who know me well, I ate no seafood but Calamari,) overlooking a beautifully illuminated bridge overlooking the Bosphorus Strait. It was a beautiful setting and a wonderful night with friends, good wine and great food!

itinerary

Three days to take off! I've posted a map of Turkey and a general itinerary of our trip--the exact dates may be off by one or two days for the locations. We will start in Istanbul, the only city in the world spanning two continents: Asia and Europe. We arrive the night before two holidays collide in one day: Victory Day, a fixed holiday celebrating Turkish victory over it's invaders in 1922 and Eid-al-Fitr, a three day celebration marking the end of Ramadan, the dates of which vary year to year. We understand we're in for quite a party! The official religion of Turkey is Muslim, although the state itself is secular and the country is known for its religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

After a few days of sightseeing in Istanbul, we begin our travels. Using a ferry to cross the Marmaris Sea, we'll head first to the Gallipoli penninsula, site of the famous WWI battle. The next day we'll ferry back to the Asian side visiting the famed city of Troy befoe spending the night in Assos, a coastal town on the Aegean Sea. During our time in Assos we'll visit the Greek Isle of Lesbos. We'll spend the next night at another lovely Aegean town, Ayvalik. On leaving Ayvalik we'll visit the historic and religiously important cities of Izmir and Ephesus before landing in Sirince for the night. The next day we're off to the Mediterranean, spending the next four nights in the lovely resort town of Bodrum. We'll spend a day aboard a small sailing vessel exploring the coastline and other days just enjoying the beautiful Mediterranean waters. On leaving there we'll continue eastward on the southern coast to a night in Fethiye, where Nancy will leave us to head home. Finally, before flying back to Istanbul we'll spend a night in Antalya. I encourage you to google these towns where we'll stay--the pictures are breathtaking!

On arriving back in Istanbul we'll spend a day then ferry over to one of the Prince Islands--no cars allowed--for an overnight adventure before returning for our last night in Istanbul. We'll obviously provide more detail as we visit each location, replete with pictures galore! Let us know you're reading....one always wonders if the blog is just entering a digital wasteland!

Finally, I encourage you to visit the following website and listen to a discussion heard on NPR today about Turkey's response to all the unrest and democracy movements in the Middle East.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=139934190&m=139934173

Countdown to departure

I am still in disbelief that we're about to go on this amazing adventure! I am incredibly grateful for the friendship of our companions and for the beautiful spirit and generosity of Oya to take us to her homeland, allow us to stay in her condo and make many of the arrangements. Without question, were it not for her, we would not be visiting Turkey. We've dreamt, planned, fretted, fantasized and giggled about this adventure. Time to stop all of that and step into the dream. We take off Sunday morning at 10:20 a.m. Our first leg will be to LA where we'll take a nonstop flight, leaving at 5:55 p.m. to Istanbul. We'll arrive around 5 pm on Monday, after a 13 hour flight! That flight will take us eastbound across the US, the Atlantic, Spain, Italy Greece and a great deal of the Mediterranean! We'll keep you posted! Gule Gule! (Goodbye!)