Miller round the world Day 23

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Up at 7 once again. Unfortunately, Violet is running a fever now and elects to spend the day at the hotel, since we know it will be a fairly arduous day. So after breakfast I board the bus without her.

Our first stop is the Dolmabahçe palace. The Ottoman sultans, after living for 400 years in the palace we saw yesterday, built a new one on the banks of the Bosphorus in the 1850s. It follows a similar layout to the old one, with an administrative area, a government area, and finally the inner royal palace itself. The style, of course, is much different, much more in the French style I've previously seen in the palaces of Versailles and St. Petersburg. The walk to the main palace is through beautiful gardens with ornate fountains and trees. The main palace itself is beautiful beyond words. Our guide Rashid takes us through the two floors room by room (not nearly all of them, of course), explaining their function. Every one has an exquisite painted ceiling and walls, a huge crystal chandelier (sometimes colored), ornate French furniture and elaborate windows looking out on the gardens. We are not allowed to take any photos inside so we try hard to imprint each one in our memories. A surprising number of rooms relate to management of the harem. The grandest room of all is the main ceremonial hall in the very centre, which boasts a 2 1/2 ton chandelier suspended from a gorgeous dome. In one room, we file by exhibits of household objects like plates, cutlery, glasses, teapots, sewing kits, etc. Each item is, of course, a miniature masterpiece in gold, silver and gems, much more refined in comparison to the jewel-studded items we saw yesterday.

We leave the palace and proceed to a boat loading zone just adjacent where we board a large tour boat for a trip up and down the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is an important waterway that connects the Sea of Mamora on the south (part of the Mediterranean) to the Black Sea on the north. Here it constitutes the dividing line between Europe and Asia, which is why Istanbul truly spans two continents. The warmer, saltier waters of the Black Sea flow south along the surface, while the colder Mediterranean water flows north deeper down. At certain points, the mixing of the two currents creates small whirlpools. We proceed north along the west side of the Bosphorus, fighting the prevailing current. It's fairly windy and cold, although the sun teases us by popping out occasionally. Rashid is the cockpit and provides information on the buildings and neighbourhoods we see on the shore. We pass under one massive suspension bridge across the Bosphorus and turn around at the second. We head back south to our starting point along the east shore, where the winds die down considerably. All in all, a lovely excursion. Istanbul is a most interesting and picturesque city.
 
Back on shore, we board the buses for our lunch engagement. The bus navigates the twisty cobblestone streets as far as it can and then we trek the rest of the way on foot. Today's restaurant is located inside a mosque. One enters through a door in a stone wall, which leads to lovely courtyard. The dining area is a large room adjoining. The meal is good, featuring lentil soup, potato salad and a kind of meatloaf with tomato sauce. No alcohol can be ordered, because we are within the confines of the mosque. After lunch we retrace our steps to the waiting buses.

The final stop for the day is the Istanbul Grand Bazaar. We are deposited on a commercial street that leads to the main entrance to the bazaar. This is a more "respectable" area featuring stores that sell certified goods. We are invited by Rashid to attend a presentation on Turkish rugs in one of these stores. Seated around three side of a large square room, we are offered drinks as we listen to the proprietor provide an interesting introductory lesson on handmade Turkish rugs. As he speaks, assistants rush out and unfurl rug after gorgeous rug onto the floor to illustrate his talk. We end up with about five layers of rugs covering every part of the floor. After that, of course, comes the sales pitch, but in a discrete and polite manner. The rugs range in price from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. I decline but accept a brochure.

The Grand Bazaar is next. It is a huge building laid out in a grid pattern with something like 4400 small shops, each typically specializing in a particular product line. It is similar to the spice bazaar we went to yesterday but even more frenetic. We wander around for about an hour and a half, being careful not to get lost, eventfully returning to our designated meeting point. While waiting for the group to reassemble, I treat myself to a mocca capuchinno from Starbucks.

Back at the hotel about 6 pm, I find that Violet is in a bad way. I arrange for an emergency visit from a doctor. He confirms my worst fears: cellulitis in the same leg she had it once before. He prescribes a number of drugs and the hotel arranges for them to be delivered. Vi and I decide that we will take tomorrow's flight to St. Petersburg, since it brings us closer to home, and reassess the situation there.

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