Blogs from Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 16

Day 10: Our last day in Istanbul. Today we didn't receive our laundry until 9 am. This caused a few stressors since we had to be showered and packed by 10 am to avoid paying another night. Since we were in such a rush a few things got left behind. My cheap little alarm clock and unfortunately Momma Bear's Ipod. On top of that it cost us 80 TL ($48) to do our laundry. It was not the best start to the day; needless to say we will be doing our own laundry from now on. We loaded up our 50 lb bags and all of our purchases, (Yes Kim; presents!) and proceeded to walk up the hill hoping to catch a taxi on the way. No such luck. So we both managed to haul our ... read more

Day 9 Part II: Now you get to hear about Ayasophia! Once again there were people lined up to get in. Once again we had a little man walk up to us and ask for 40 TL if he could be our guide and once again all it took was the magic statement; "you don't have to stand in line." We were in like flint. There were three Ayasophia’s (Hagia Sophia) built throughout the years at that particular location. The first two locations were burned down by rioters and the current one was completed in 537 A.D. The building is mostly original with the exception of a few changes. Earthquakes eventually caused the collapse of the dome. When the dome was reconstructed they couldn’t replicate a semi-circular dome of the same size so as a result ... read more

Day 6: Today we were picked up from our hostel at 810 am; it is the first time since we got here that we haven't had to walk a hill. From there we were taken to Kabatas where we boarded our boat. Our first stop was maiden's tower at the southern entrance of the bosphorus straight. It was originally built to control the entrance of Persian ships. It is now, like many historical sites, a popular restaurant. Next we headed to Ortokay which has the only mosque that looks like and Orthodox church on the outside because a Christian architect was sanctioned to build it. We had the most interesting baked potato, my words not Terri's, that was stuffed with corn, peas, peppers, black olives, sour cream, chives, and some other ingredients I did not recognize ... read more

Day 4: The Islands Today we woke up and it was a cool 40 degrees after the humidex. Wonderful, since we have arrived there has not been a single cloud in the sky and it just keeps getting hotter and hotter. I really enjoy the heat, heck, lets just make it an even 50 degrees and call it good! For those unaware, that first paragraph was once again sarcasm. On the cab ride to our hostel we were told about the Prince's Islands in the sea of Maramara so we decided to go and check them out. The trip over to the islands nearly broke the bank costing us a whole 3,50 TL each way for the 90 minute ferry ride. I decided we would go to the second largest of the nine islands which is ... read more

Day 2 This morning I got up at 630 am and for those that know me that is just unheard of so I am going to bore you with a few facts before we start to pass the time. Turkey has 81 provinces and 8 different climatic regions. Within those provinces lie 80 million people; 14 of which are found in Istanbul. On top of that Istanbul has an area that is 2000 square kilometers smaller than the city of Toronto which has 5 million people. Istanbul is also the only city in the world to be in two continents. Enough boring stuff, lets get down to the nitty gritty! This morning at sunrise, before even I got up, the prayers could be heard above the songs of the birds. It doesn't take long for the ... read more