ISTANBUL

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28 April. Istanbul is unbelievably beautiful. We’ve arrived at the height of spring, with tulip trees and redbuds in bloom, plus pansies, primroses and literally millions of tulips. I was reminded that tulips originated in Iran and moved to the Netherlands through Turkey and other mid-eastern countries. Wow! We are not scheduled to meet our group for the Turkey trip until 2 May, so Tom got us rooms at the Sirkeci Konak Hotel, just across the street (and city wall) from the Topkapi Palace and its gardens. There’s another movie we’ll have to rent - I think that Audrey Hepburn was in the film about stealing the famous Topkapi diamond. This is the old/historical area of Istanbul with many churches, MANY mosques and museums, a view of the Marmara Sea, and old uneven cobbled streets. Istanbul is the only city located in two continents; we’re in the northwestern European side, but across the Straits of Bosphorus is the Asian side. Remember your grade school geography? The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, and is still a narrow and dangerous passage for the big ships heading into and out of the Black Sea. (I really should be inserting maps, shouldn’t I?)

We hear little English, but everyone we meet has been eager to help, even taking your arm and walking you down the street to make sure you know where to go. The drivers, on the other hand, are the most aggressive and fastest we’ve encountered, and think nothing of accelerating to 60 mph down a little twisty street full of people. The only ones they look out for are the trolleys - do Aussies call them trams? - that are the biggest we’ve ever seen. No one messes with the trolleys. Tom’s GPS is handy!

29 April. We’re hearing more about the swine flu outbreak and how it’s moving across the world from Mexico. We bought some Tamiflu, the only medicine they think will work against it. Of course, you can buy it here without prescription, where even if you do get a prescription in the US, you can’t buy it because the US government has it all. We also bought a beautiful blue plate and two rugs, and looked for another sweater for Tom because it’s still quite cool here. By the way, there are more tourists here than at all the Egyptian archaeological sites combined! There are also herds of school children, all friendly and wishing to try out their English on anyone available. We’ll keep up with the WHO on H1N1.

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Photos

From our Hotel Window
Istanbul is full of mosques, and you can hear calls to prayer almost around the clock.

Hagia Sofia
This building has been a church, a mosque, and a museum.

Turkish Tulips
At this time of year, millions of bulbs bloom in Istanbul.