Blogs from Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 12

11 March 2012 2:05 MDT (10:05 local) I think the states "sprang ahead" . Hopefully my math is right. Last night, I took a walk along the hippodrome. Everything is very pretty lit up. I had a fish sandwich on the dock. I had a Turkish beer ( yummy). And successfully got my way out of an elaborate overcharging scheme. I think I have a good " I'm about to kick your ass face". Anyway, I came back ( still get lost. There really aren't street signs as such) and went to sleep. Woke up twice. Once at half time once with ten seconds left. Go lobos! I tried to record the game so maybe I'll get to listen to it in its entirety. Breakfast was a buffet with many cheeses, breads, fruits, and olives. I ... read more

10 March 2012 9:12 MST (18:12 local) First the flight: Drank visne (call to prayer time!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the interruption! It was my very first one- shorter than I would have guessed) as my first beverage. Pretty name (s has the curly-q so it sounds like Vishne). Tastes like cranberry. Maybe Sisy likes it as baby name. Dinner was chicken and yummy couscous and salad and cheesecake. Watched 4 Doctor Who episodes and listened to a lot of music. They gave everyone a gift bag with sleep mask, ear plugs, socks, and toothpaste. I used an airplane toilet for the first time. Not much different from the train. Didn't get to see northern lights. Didn't get to sleep. Breakfast was eggs, potato, fruit, spinach, tomato, and cheese. Flight was ten hours. Landed. I love how international ... read more

About 6 months ago, I have started working at a company. This means that I have less free time to roam around the world. However, lucky me, my company implemented a shut-down system where the employees must take leave at the end of the year. Bad thing is that we have less "annual leave" over the year, but we can get a long duration of leave at the end of the year (without asking boss for permission :p). Making full use of this system, on the last travel fair here at Singapore, I tried to find tours which match my leave schedule. We decided to go on a 10D/7N Turkey tour. The tour effectively only last for around 8 days. First day and last day are for departure and arrival. We departed on 24th December 2011 ... read more

John We got a pretty early start this morning and made our way over to the complex that houses the Topkapi Palace and Istanbul’s three archeological museums. Martina has a yet unrealized dream of visiting the Topkapi Palace, we have tried to go there several times including this morning and this afternoon but there is always a tremendous line. Topkapi was the “royal” palace and governmental center during most of the Ottoman years. One of the highlights is supposed to be the harem. According to what I’ve read there were so many women around, that the Ottoman emperors employed only Eunuchs to work in the harem. I guess one way to ensure your four wives and few hundred concubines remain faithful is to be the only man in the palace with a penis, me personally I ... read more

Our first day in Istanbul was quiet. We arrived in the morning after a 10 hour flight and since our room wasn't ready, we decided to take a walk and explore the area. We are staying minutes away from Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. John and I walked over to the plaza where these two impressive buildings stand, almost side by side. You can stand in the middle of the plaza, sip freshly squeezed pomagranate juice, and look from left to right comparing the two buildings they are a perfect example of cultural competition. When the Ottomans took over the city during the 17th century, after nearly 700 years of trying, the mosque was built next to Aya Sofia to illustrate to the people that Islam was as great a religion as Christianity. Our first ... read more