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. The walls are adorned with amazing mosaic tiles which were produced close to the local area. Each of the palace and harem rooms have a magnificent mosaic'd dome.
Jeannie and I did the siamese trick with the audio guide (i.e. each with one earpiece) which worked quite well until we decided to go different ways ... disasterous!
We also dropped into the three Istanbul Archaeology Museums, containing artifacts which cover most of the eras and civilizations in history. A Sarcoghapus of Alexander the Great is pictured. This sarcoghapus was never used.
Richard has finally discovered how to lock the door to our balcony so it is time for bed, off to the Grand Bazaar tomorrow and other discoveries! Take care all XXX