Last full day in Istanbul today, visited the Blue Mosque, Hargia Sophia, the Mosaic Museum and the Basilica Cistern. Richard decided to leave us after lunch and head back to the hotel for a well deserved rest. Jeannie, Jim and I took a bus tour which took us from the Old city to the European side and then crossed to Asia via the Bosphorus bridge. Quite an amazing journey through different areas and townships. The European side is less populated than the Asian s...

Hi all, arrived in Istanbul safely last night after a stop in Warsaw. Traffic was manic from the airport to our accommodation which is a lovely little boutique hotel in the old are Sultanahmet. We have a great view of the Blue Mosque and at 180 degrees, the Bosphorus, a very busy and bustling little waterway. Today we visited the Topkapi Palace and Topkapi Harem. The Palace was the home of the Ottoman Sultans for a period of 400 years from 1465 to 1856 approx. ...