May 4 Istanbul Turkey

So we sailed from the Aegean Sea through the straits of Dardanelles and Bosporus into the Black Sea where Istanbul sits on the southeastern part of Europe and also Asia Minor. So we have European Turkey and Asian Turkey.. Today is overcast and dreary, and raining a bit, somehow it seems right,the weather seems to fit Turkey, but off we go on our tour.

First stop- the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet which is also called the Blue Mosque, we stand in a long line in the rain, get to the door and have to take our shoes off and put them into a little bag and carry them all wet and dripping. The Mosque is stunningly beautiful, amazing, so ornate on the inside, gorgeous blue tiles all over the walls and a magnificent ceiling. It felt very holy to me,it was huge and vast and yet it felt warm and welcoming. A portion was roped off where the MEN could go and pray, the women were segregated to the back of the mosque,this society is not very respectful of women in any way. Outside the Mosque is the Hippodrome where all the political struggles and uprisings of the Byzantine Empire used to take place.

Next we visited St Sophia originally built in 532 AD and over the years has been a church, a mosque and a museum. The dome is huge and most impressive...strangely the inside has gorgeous fresco's of Mary and Jesus,as well as huge banners with turkish writing from the mosque.
On to the ancient Bascilica cistern built in the 6th Century, under the city used to supply safe water to the city during the attacks when the city was under siege, it has 336 marble columns and is 2.4 acres in size, part of the James Bond movie from Russia with love was filmed here...it was damp and kinda creepy.....

Last stop, The Grand Bazaar, big highlight of Istanbul, and it is closed cause it is Sunday. The shops around it are open, so we wander, check out some amazing lighting shops with beautiful blown glass. I found a cool restaurant with authentic Turkish bread and food. In the front window of the place two women sat on cushions and made the flat bread, spread out and worked the dough and cooked it on these grill things, some of them they stuffed with spinach, cheese and minced meat. The meal was good, served by men in fluffy pants, vests and a red fez, it ended with apple tea, must say I was diggin that!! Interesting city and people!