Istanbul, Turkey, 11/26-27

We have just set sail out of Istanbul where we have been for the past two days. As we watch the lights of the city, the bridges, and the mosques go away we are truly amazed that we have actually been here! We started with a tour yesterday afternoon to the Topkapi Palace (Sultan's palace) and some time in the Grand Bazaar. The Palace would have been better if we could have seen the Harem Rooms (have been told you cannot visit them except a private tour with a small group) but we did visit the amory - one sword was at least 8 or 10 feet long - Granddaddy is trying to figure out how anyone could use it with its length and weight. I'll have to get him to add his comments (he is down in the cabin reading and recovering from our adventure). The Bazaar has 4500 shops, 2500 under one roof! You can't really explain it fully unless you have been there, Aric and Tammy can tell you. You walk in (especially at night)and the shops are all lit up, no one harasses you but once you have set your eyes on something you have shown an interest to them. You negotiate (bargin) everything and it is the end of the tourist season so you barter back and forth and then barter if you want to buy more than one. So far we have done well - Granddaddy is a better barter than I am. We have a show on the ship last night with dancers (including belly) and enjoyed watching their skill. You parents can explain and demonstrate to you kids about that one! This morning we were up bright and early to finish our tour - we went to St Sofia's (was a church then a mosque now a museum) which is an amazing building with minorets and other items of a mosque but also they have revealed two or three mosaics from when it was a church (had just been covered over with plaster). It is about 1600 years old - was constructed by orders of Justinian of Constantanople around 450 AD. Yes, Aric and Tammy, the scaffolding is still there, has been for ten years with nothing being done on the dome. The dome is (I believe) second largest to St Peter's and it is one of the fourth largest churches in the world (next to St Peter's in Rome, Milan, and Seville Spain). Then we walked over to the Blue Mosque which is a magnificant mosque (we had to take off our shoes and the women to wear a head scarf). The beauty of the blue is extra ordinary. We saw the Oblesik (spelling?)which is about 3000 years old and was stolen from Egypt (and yes, they won't give it back). Some of the columns are from Egypt (they brought the oblesik over by tying logs to it and towing it in the water like a raft). We then went for a special Turkish lunch with about 4 to 6 things on our plate for each course. The food is excellent for the most part - expecially the hot appetizers and the desserts. Istanbul is a very interesting city, we drove to both the Euorpe and Asian sides. It is the only city that connects two continents by a bridge. The Asian side is mostly residential and the traffic is as bad or worse than Athens. They are building a metro system that is suppose to be done next year. People are friendly and even though it is 99% Muslim you rarely see any women wearing head scarfs. It is interesting when you hear the call to prayer (which happens 5 times per day) but nothing stops and our driver says if you are working, etc, you make up for it when you get home. All the mosques have balconies or someplace for women as they cannot worship together. The Imam (priest) is suppose to be about 50+ years old (interesting as so many radicals aren't) and do preach but are not suppose to be political. The services are short (10 minutes) except for the Friday service. Istanbul feels a lot like Athens - European with a bit a middle Eastern flare. It is much more international. We didn't feel any animosity being Americans, in fact, saw a sign with the Statue of Liberty. The weather today was cold (48 degrees) and sprinkled a bit. Glad to be headed south. We are off tomorrow for a day a sea (which we need to rest) and then the day after to Rhodes, Greece. With all the exercise we are getting I am having no problem keeping my blood sugar down - may be that's the trick! We stood on the deck watching Istanbul go with its bright lights (all the important buildings are lit up at night) and were sorry to see it go - amazed that we were here. We have been done 11 days and it is going fast. I can't upload pictures on the ship so I'll try and do it from shore when I find an internet cafe. We are doing GREAT!

What a wonderful couple of days in Turkey! Sounds fabulous. Glad the weather is also holding out. Greece should be icing on the cake! Love you both, kathy