MARKET DAY

We spent the morning at the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar ..... Great sights and smells, a jumble of jasmine, pepper, curries, loved it. We got there around opening time......and had an hour or so before it got insanely busy, great experience tho. Tonight we meet up with the rest of our group and look forward to one more day in this amazing city, before heading into the countryside.....stay tuned.

BEAUTIFUL EVENING

Tonight we walked, and walked, and walked around our neighborhood. We chatted with merchants, they are so friendly, a few are pushy, but most, if they don't have any other customers, are happy to just talk once they realize you are not buying. We met a really nice young man from Syria, who left his country 2 years ago. When he graduated from university, he was forced to make the decision of joining the army, mandatory 2 years of service, and fight his own people, or leave his country. He had some great stories to share, and I suppose he hoped we would end up buying something, and we probably will go back to see him, but regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed talking to him.
Istanbul is huge!!! Everywhere you look, it is city, city, city as far as the eye can see. There are over 20 million people, 38 million cars, and although it is the 5th biggest city in the world, it is second to Dubai as the busiest.
We found a great little rooftop, "The Sultans Bar" ordered our Efes, and took in the view. We had the Blue Mosque to our right and the Aya Sophia to our left with the Bosphorous Strait in the background. Watching the day disappear and the night lights take over as the sun set.... magical, that is all I can say......stay tuned

Making Pancakes

THE SULTANS OF SWING....Topkapi Palace

This morning we walked to the Topkapi Palace, a short 10 minute stroll (if you knew where you were going, it took us 20 minutes). The Palace was built between1459-1465 by Mehmet II after his conquest of Constantinople. The entrance made me feel like I was entering Disneyland, and once inside it really was like a fantasyland. those Sultans knew how to build a place and spared no expense. The Palace consists of the Harem, where the Sultan and his family lived, along with his 1,000 concubines, as well as many other buildings, built around 4 courtyards, looking out over the Bosphorus Strait. The tile and marble, the gold in the ceilings and walls, are amazing. In some areas, the marble floor was so smooth, and it makes you wonder about what kind of people walked that floor, and what kind of lives they lived there.
The Treasury held gold, silver, 6 carat diamonds, huge rubies, and headpieces that looked just like what you would picture that Cleopatra wore.....with huge emeralds, rubies,dripping with diamonds and gold chains. There were swords and other weapons, hand mirrors, jugs and boxes, all encrusted with jewels, simply magnificent. Unfortunately, no photos allowed in this building.
The Harem, which means "a place forbidden, was the largest building. It contains 300 rooms, 9 Turkish baths, 2 mosques and a hospital.
The second and third picture are of the Sultans bedroom, showing one of the two matching beds, and the fountain in the room, giving you an idea of how grand the room is.
The 6th picture is the courtyard of the Favorites.....no explanation required. The 2nd and 3rd from the end show the Queen Mothers Chambers....she was very important and made decisions regarding the Sultan and his wives and children. The last picture reveals the secret of how the Sultan had the energy to deal with all the women in his life.....and we thought energy drinks were something new!
The Palace really gives you a good idea of what life was like in this city 600 years ago....for the rich and famous as well as the servants and slaves.
It was a great way to spend our first day in Istanbul.

LET'S TALK TURKEY

We have arrived! We are staying in the heart of Old City Istanbul, and if I had to describe it in one word, it would be....Utterly, incredibly, beautifully, magical. The drive from the airport was through heavy traffic, and we passed what looked very similar to the West End/English Bay area of Vancouver, condos on one side, the water and beaches on the other side. After about 30 minutes of city driving, we made a left turn, immediately left the metropolis, and within a block, were on narrow cobblestone streets, winding up and thru gorgeous little neighborhoods packed with people walking, dining at sidewalk cafés, hauling goods in primitive wooden carts. We checked into our hotel, at about 8pm local time, after being up for 26 hours, took a stroll around the block just to get our bearings. It was early evening, and it was so beautiful, with the night lights, and an even mix of travelers and locals. We found a great little restaurant on the street, and enjoyed our first Turkish beer, "Efes" along with an amazing appetizer, little cigarette sized pastry filled with cheese and served with incredibly garlicky tzatziki. We chatted with one of the waiters who was so friendly, and set the tone for the evening, he was just so eager to chat and share his pride in his city. He told us how to walk to the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, Spice Market and Grand Bazaar, which are all nearby. We just sat and watched the street life, with smiles on our faces, just knowing this is going to be one amazing adventure......stay tuned.