Turkey and Greece April 2024

Sunday, April 14: Istanbul

We arrived on schedule in Instanbul, and after a bit of confusion at the airport, met our driver, who took us to our hotel, in the heart of Instanbul. After resting up a bit, we walked toward the Galata Bridge, a very historic bridge featured in millions of movies. We walked past the Yeni Cami Mosque, also known as the New Mosque.

We arrived at the bridge and crossed the Golden Horn. Underneath the bridge are a series of very expensive restaurants. You might say they saw us coming. Beautiful place looking up the Bosphorus. I think we may be on our second bottle of wine here.

Same table, different view. The Bosphorus is in the background.

Kathy loves to photograph food. They brought all the daily catches, fished out of the Marmora Sea, an almost inland sea connected to the Aegean Sea by the Dardanelles Strait, or Strait of Gallipoli. It tasted much better than it looked. They charged by the kilo.

A little Turkish entertainment.

Mike was ready to get back to the hotel. He completely ignored the call to prayer.

Cool boat docked on the Golden Horn. No idea what its purpose is.

Our whirlwind tour is underway. There are 7 of us, 5 women and 2 men, led by our guide, Kinaç. First stop, the Grand Bazaar. Apparently, this has become very touristy. My Russian partner, Dmitry, who has been everywhere, assures me that it is controlled by the mob, who have improved quality control and eliminated ripoffs, so if you buy gold, it really is gold. We didn't test his theory. Our guide said that was ridiculous.

Amazing store with spices and all manner of sweet things. Beautiful displays. It probably tops the Turkish Delight shop in Armand Circle, Sarasota.

OK team, synchronize your watches. We're on a schedule! Our tour guide, Kinaç, ran a tight ship, er, bus.

Next stop, Topkapi Palace. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, and was the main crib of its sultans. Unfortunately, we decided not to visit the harem. Mike was interested to see how it stacked up against his.

Lots of Ottoman treasures inside, protected by those machine-gun toting guards.

The main entrance to the Palace Grounds.

Not surprisingly, the sultans had the best views in Instanbul, looking at the Sea of Marmora to the right, the Bosphorus to the left, and the Golden Horn behind you. Kathy is in front of the Bosphorus, with European Instanbul over her right shoulder, Asian Instanbul across the Bosphorus. The First Bosphorus Bridge, AKA the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, is in the background.

On the road again. Stopped for lunch at a rest area and had a traditional Turkish lunch.

Saint. Eustathios Church is among the more well-known Virgin Mary and Tokal Churches while being one of Cappadocia's smaller churches. The church's structure has a rectangular layout as can be seen when you look at it. The church, which has two naves, is the only one with this style of architecture in the Cappadocian region. This church is located in the town of Taskinpasa and was built in the 10th century. It features a unique design with a square-shaped apse and frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Eustathios.

Mike is having a very hard time unseeing this unfortunate pose. Kathy refused Mike's suggestion for an artistic pose by her.

Goreme Open Air Museum

Buckle Church

Dark Church

Sultanhanı Caravanserai

Where are the f*&#ing gladiators?! Mike in the nosebleed seats, as usual.

Temple of Hadrian

Medusa

Public Toilets

Celcus Library

Asclepieion of Pergamon

Maybe this is why the Trojans let a giant horse through the gates. Poppies everywhere.

Believe it or not, this is the actual movie prop from the movie Troy, with Kathy's boyfriend, Brad Pitt.

Famous statue depicting Ottoman soldier carrying injured Australian soldier.

Nice message from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to the mothers of fallen sons, with creepy mask.

Australian War Memorial. Our Aussie tour mate is examining the gravestones. The tents in the background are for an Australian event marking the Gallipoli landings in 1915.

Cemeteries in old battlefields are always sad. A testament to the f*+&ing war pigs who put them there.

Çanakkale Bridge