Blogs from Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 2

Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Umraniye - 6nopti =55euro pe noapte camera dubla, queen family room, imensa, spatioasa, curata si hotel apartinand unui lant si care se afla intr-un centru comercial-mall. Situat un pic mai departe de centru si de punctele turistice pe care le-am vazut intens cu ocazia altor vizite-palatul Topkapi, moscheile, muzeul de arheologie, bazarurile totusi nici de aceasta data nu ne-a tinut deoparte de alte descoperiri si aici in partea asiatica Umraniye. Clima a fost superba, practic am fost acolo in intampinarea verii impreuna cu pescarusii. Asa am descoperit cel mai mare acvariu din Europa- Acqua Florya, acvariu situat si el intr-un mall-Florya. Iar elementul de rezistenta l-a constituit jocul pinguinilor din bazinele imense. Am prins sezonul florilor in gradinile palatului Topkapi. A fost un concediu de Paste placut combinat cu plimbarile feribotului, colindatul ... read more

Turkey, December 2012 - January 2013 Day 1 We have arrived, probably yesterday evening? I’m writing this based on my handwritten notes in 2018, five years later so… The first full day goes by wandering around Old Town, hoods of Sultan Ahmed mosque or Blue Mosque as it’s also known as. This area is quite touristy but necessary to appreciate the heritage and history. We end up visiting Blue Mosque twice because the visiting hours are unknown to us. Suppose checking timetables prior to visiting wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It is closed for prayers in between as it is still functioning as a mosque and not just as a tourist attraction. It has continued serving as a mosque from the beginning of 17th century. Details and the building itself is fascinating. Hagia Sofia is ... read more

Today is the first day of Ramadan, when observant Muslims don't eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset. I found out that this rule doesn't apply to the local stray dogs when I encountered a few on top of the old city walls and one of them gave me a nip on the ankle. This led to an interesting involvement with the Turkish health service. The first hospital I went to doesn't give rabies shots. You may also find this surprising, given that the city is full of stray dogs and cats. They sent me to another hospital where I joined the locals in pressing myself forward for service, despite their attempt to assign numbers to each patient. I eventually got a jab and went to a pharmacy for two kinds of antibiotics. My system ... read more

Saturday: Sadly we were kept up by a baby crying until 12:30 AM. Sleep was fitful so John got up and went for a sunrise walk down to the ferry terminal at Eminonu. He saw the first cruise ship we have sighted. Our host at the hotel tells us that the norm is two or three ships a day but many of the big cruise lines have cancelled Istanbul as a port-of-call altogether! Shocking. After a warming breakfast and conversation with the hotel’s owner, Mehmet, we rested before meeting friends Aggie and Roger and going to the famous Chora Church with its unsurpassed mosaics. We ogled them for an hour or more, running into Carol, Steve and Connie from the Asian Art Museum. The five of them are on their way tomorrow to Iran for a ... read more

Thursday: John got up early – 5:30 – and went for a walk down to the Eminonu ferry terminal area to take pictures of the sun coming up on the Bosphorus. It was a little like a salmon going upstream as everyone was coming the other way to their work (the Grand Bazaar opens at 8:00 AM). What a glorious day it was, not a cloud in the sky and everything right with our world. Not that everything was right, as there was a bombing on Wednesday in Bursa, about three hours by ferry and car from Istanbul. Sadly the bombing was at their magnificent mosque but only the bomber was killed. John ended up have a couple of interesting conversations with shopkeepers and folks at the hotel about the impact these bombings are having on ... read more