Istanbul

Istanbul has been my favorite stop on the trip thus far. It is such a historic city that I feel great to have visited. You can see some relics all around and having the sea right next to the city you get a sense of the history of the place. One of the roads we took often goes under a 4th century Roman aquaduct. They don't use it to move water, but it still looks solid.

The first night in Istanbul we ate a great restaurant right on the sea. I was eating about three feet from the Bosphorus. I've already written about the food, but the setting was incredible. I feel like I'm running out of superlatives for Turkey, so you know I really did enjoy it. We had three dinner guest associated with business, so the conversation was engaging. You just had to look out over the water every once in a while to take in the view again.

I wish I was able to describe it, but the scene is beyond my writing ability. I wish I could show you a picture, but I can't download them with my camera. You will just have to wait until I get back.

The next morning we had meetings with the three recognized minority religions in Turkey. They are Armenian Christians, Greek Orthodox Christians, and the Jewish Religion. It was hot and I have to say I didn't find the meetings terribly interesting. Lunch was at a very famous restaurant. Of course they were know for their seafood, so it was good, but not really my cup of tea. Our guest works with foundations in Turkey.

The afternoon was absolutely great. We took a boat tour on the Bosphorus. It is the body of water between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. You get an amazing view of Istanbul from the Bosphorus and we had a big cruise ship all to ourselves. It was even better than the trip up the River Rhine. Just slightly better. The homes on the Bosphorus reminded me of upscale homes on Flathead Lake. We crossed under two bridges and saw a big castle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporus

After we got off the boat we traveled to the Hagia Sophia. It is the fourth largest building constructed as a church in the world. St. Peters in Rome, One I can't remember, the Nortre Dame in Paris and the Hagia Sophia. The kicker is this was built in 537 AD. It was an amazing site from the inside. Again, words don't really do it justice. I anticipated seeing this as part of the trip because I had heard about it in a podcast. It did not disappoint.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

We also visited the Blue Mosque that is right around the corner. We didn't get much time in Turkey to explore Islam. The country is 98% Islamic, so there are a lot of current topics we could have covered, but alas, we had only so much time. From there it was on to the grand bazaar. We stopped for a short overview of Turkish rugs that was very interesting. Then we visited the Grand Bazaar. They will tell you there are 4,000 shops there. I will tell you there are 4. There is a jewelry store, a carpet store, a clothing store, and a trinket store. There are just a thousand of each.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bazaar

We finished with a closing dinner. Again, mostly seafood. Everyone else loved it, and I thought it was OK, just not my favorite. Then the guys on the trip hit the Turkish Bath or Haman. It was an experience Eric had wanted since we started our trip. I went along because...When in Rome, and when else would I get the chance.

It was great. A nice steam room, a good wash down, a nice massage. It was an experience unlike any other. It was a great cap on a good day.

Of all the places we have been so far, Istanbul was the first that I really want to go back to. There was so much stuff I didn't get to see and I would love to spend more time at the Hagia Sophia.

The next morning we hoped a little commuter plane to Bucharest.