Istanbul Day 2

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After breakfast we made our way to the tram and took it across the Galatta Bridge followed by a short walk to the Dolmabahce Palace. We walked through the entrance gardens and had a short wait for our entrance ticket. We then walked through the beautiful inner gardens to the palace itself. Here we had to wait a considerable time for the next tour to enter the palace (only way to be allowed entry). Unfortunately no photography is allowed within the palace. As it is only 155 years old and built to try to save the failing Ottomon empire, it is quite modern for a Palace and built to impress! (or as the guide said, show off!) The attention to detail is quite amazing, with beautiful mosaics, murals, turkish carpets, furniture and chandeliers everywhere you looked. The Palace itself is 110,000 square metres and 600 metres long. The Ballroom (Ceremonial room) is the largest in Europe at 2,000 square meters and has a 4.5 tonne chandelier! They still hold official state functions in this room, such as when Obama visited (bit more impressive than any venue in Canberra!) The tour also took us to the room where Ataturk (founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey) passed away.

After the tour we enjoyed a drink at a cafe on the water front where it was nice and cool by the water. We then made our was to the funicular which took us up to Taksim Square and along Istikial Caddesi. We has a browse at some of the shops and walked past Galata Tower, before catching the tram back across the Galatta Bridge. We had a late lunch at a cafe near Aya Sofya before returning to the hotel for a little siesta and to escape the heat!

In the evening we went to a Mevlevi Sema Ceremony (whirling dervishes) and Sufi Music Concert at the Hodjapasha Cultural Centre. I really enjoyed the ceremony - the music and singing was mystical and exotic, the dervishes mesmerising (and amazing that they can twirl for so long without getting dizzy!) and the venue was intimate and perfect for this kind of ceremony. Mike of course thought it was one of the biggest wastes of an hour in his life (second only to the Zach Adams show)!

We went via the Blue Mosque on our way back to the hotel, but again it was closed to visitors for the evening, this time for prayer.

Pedometer reading: 16,700

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