Today is the day before we leave for Kas! The last of the wedding party arrives late today. Mary and Andrea have plans to do last minute shopping and other preparations. I guess Salih feels sorry for me and has volunteered to take me to the Sophia Mosque and a couple of Sultan's Palaces.

I've agreed as long as the lines aren't too long. So off we go again for Sultanahmet, the Bridge, and the Spice Market area again.

A bit of history that I have learned since I got here. Shortly after Genghis Khan's Mongol descendants defeated the Byzantine Army in 1243, a tribal leader, Osman, established the Ottoman dynasty which would rule Turkey until the end of World War I. The first leaders, or Sultans, expanded the Empire to include everything from the Holy lands, north Africa, to the Mediterranean States. The later day Sultans ruled poorly, presiding over a gradual decline of the Empire, until their last mistake of siding with Germany in World War I. After WWI, Turkey's borders were pushed back to the present day borders at the Treaty of Sevres which Turks considered a humiliation. Large portions of Turkey, including Istanbul were occupied by foreign countries. A nationalist movement formed, led by General Mustafa Kemal, the victorious commander at Gallipoli. Kemal, later known as "Ataturk", defeated the Greeks, who had sought to take advantage of the Turk's disorder following WWI and invaded Turkey in the early 1920's. In 1923, Kemel secured the Treaty of Laussane which undid the humiliations of Sevres and expelled foreigners from Turkey's present day borders.

Kemel, who then took the name of Ataturk, literally meaning "Father Turk" embarked on huge governmental and social reforms that the Ottoman's had ignored for centuries. The common people love and adore him to this day for the improvements he made in their lives. He died on November 10, 1938 and was so revered that to this day at 9:30 am every November 10th the nation stops what they are doing and observes a one minute moment of silence. Business stops, even traffic stops, people get out of their cars and stand in respectful silence.

One of Ataturk's glowing achievements was to end the religious control of the government. He tasked the military with using force, if necessary, to prevent Islamists from creeping back into power. This secular/Islamist struggle goes on today as Islamists have gained more and more power from secularists in Turkey's elections in recent years.

Herein ends the lesson. Today I hope to finally see the mosques built by the early Byzantines and Ottomans as well as the Palaces of the Sultans.

Change of plans #44. Mary is coming with Salih and I and we are going to meet up with Ann and Kirstan Mann who arrived late last night. I hope we don't get back on that cruise ship!

It's a little cooler today but promises to be a scorcher.

The Sophia Mosque was packed, worse than it was on Sunday. I've never seen so many tourists in my life! We tried the Topkapi Palace it was packed as well. But as the grounds inside the Palace cover some 7 million square feet of gardens and buildings, we did get inside it's walls. Along with thousands of other tourists. We couldn't get inside any of the exhibits. Frustrated with the crowds, we headed back to the Hippodone area just outside the Palace for a lunch of Turkish meatballs. 78% in the shade and we ate meatballs! Go figure.

At that point, Ann, Kirsten, and Mary renewed their desire to go to the Grand Bazaar, something I had no desire to do. As they walked off to find the Bazaar, I settled into a cozy chair in a small alley, shaded by a canopy of grape vines, ordered a glass of whiskey and began to catch up on my blogging. A youth hostel nearby even provided free WI-FI. Life is good!

We had plans to meet everyone at a restaurant near the Grand Bazaar at 7:30 pm for dinner.