Standing On Two Continents

Our first stop - Aya Sofia - 6th century church (largest basilica of its for almost a millennium!) converted into a mosque in the 15th century
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After Naxos we returned reluctantly by ferry to Athens, where we spent another night, and then caught the train to Thesaloniki (about 5 hours North), where we caught another sleeper train to Istanbul, which was a long overnight journey.  For future travellers we would point out that there are actually very few options to get from Greece to Istanbul (may have something to do with the not-great political relationship between the two states) - we were very suprised at how difficult it was to get a ferry (for instance) - very expensive and very infrequent.  The best option (although a real pain) is to do what we did - the train link.  The sleeper train is really comfortable - two bunks per cabin so we had it to ourselves.  The only draw-back was being woken at 2am at the border by cries of "Passports, Customs...Coffee!!"  Almost all nationalities can get a Visa on Arrival at the border (Germans are free, so Denise slept - I paid about 15 Euro on my UK passport - the Canadians were nailed for 45 Euro each.  Take Euro since they don't have credit card facilities and won't take any other currency!)

Aya Sofia's size is truly impressive!
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Two days in Istanbul was just enough to realise that two days will never be enough to even scratch the surface of this amazing city!  Even our arrival was magical (quite something after such a long trip) - with the sparkling blue waters of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorous cradled by the twin arms of the city - half in Europe and half in Asia.  After taking a local train to our hostel (see seperate review) and checking in we walked up to the Hagia Sophia.  Commissioned in 532CE (AD in non-PC lingo) by  Emperor Justinian (the Roman empire had split by this stage into the East, based in Constantinople, and the West in Rome) it was the single largest place of Christian worship for centuries until St. Peter's was built in the Vatican.  It was later seized (along with the rest of the city) by the Ottomans who converted it into a giant mosque replete with minarets.  Today it has been declared a museum and is incredible to visit - with a complete juxtaposition of Islamic and Christian iconography and the most incredible architecture (pity about the scaffolding).

Two Days in Istanbul - Enough to Know You Need More!

The Blue Mosque
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For lunch we ate kofte (Turkish meatballs) and semolina cake at a famous local eatery recommended as the best in the city by the Lonely Planet guide.  Then it was on to the Topkapi Palace - formerly the very heart of the sprawling Ottoman empire.  It's scale and beauty defy description - and you could easily spend days here exploring.  We had only a few hours so we took in the major highlights including the fabled Harem, the treasury (with emeralds the size of your fist, thrones, jeweled suits of armour, and the skull and arm of St. John the Baptist!), and the circumcision room (ouch!!).  The views from the terraces over the Golden Horn are unbeatable.  That evening we went to a Whirling Dervish show (the religious music and unique spinning dance of a sub-sect of Sufi muslims) - which was interesting but too touristy.  After the dance we retired to the bar at the hostel and watched (and joined in) a display of authentic belly dancing (Denise was great!).

Denise inside the Harem of the Topkapi Palace - seat of the Sultan for centuries
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Thursday was a landmark - Day 100!  We slept in late, dropped off laundry, and walked to the harbour via the waterfront to catch the Bosphorous Scenic Cruise (only 12.5 YTL for the 90 min return ride) which was superb.  We caught the last one out of the day - and the ride up the strait was incredible with Europe on one side and Asia on the other.  The slopes of the hills on both sides were littered with mansions and great buildings.  The river was spanned by impressive suspension bridges.  The boat stopped at six points along the way to drop off and pick up passengers before reaching its end-point at Andolu Bavagi (close to the Black Sea).  We ate some lunch from local vendors and hiked up the hill to the ruins above the town - to see our first views of the Black Sea.  After the ferry back we spent some time updating the blog and planning the trip.

Beautiful Topkapi Palace containing huge treasures in the treasury exhibition
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Overall Istanbul was one of the best stops on the trip so far - good atmosphere, less expensive, really scenic and one of the most historic and significant cities/crossroads in the world.