Basilica Cistern

Underground Well built by the Byzantine Empire in 537.

December 22nd 2015
Maybe it will happen when you are standing on the Galata Bridge. The bridge crosses the Golden Horn from Karakoy to Eminonu where the Ottoman Sultans ruled for more than 500 years. The bridge will be busy, as always. Throngs of pedestrians mingle with fisherman and vendors for space on the wide sidewalks. Boat traffic of every size and variety vies for the narrow space below as they have since tim ... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul » Beyoglu

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopt... ... read more

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Nanci and David Curry

nancic123

In July of 2011, we made the decision to leave our comfortable jobs in Northern California to see the world. We weren’t sure where we were going to go or how long we would be gone, but we wanted an adventure and we knew we could find it if we looked carefully enough. We would travel slowly, staying in cities and towns for longer periods than most tourists have time for. Hopefully, it would give us an opportunity to observe local life in a unique way. In June of 2019, we completed our 8th consecutive year of travel. We visited 53 countries on 4 continents and travelled for 2873 straight da... full info

Joined	May 15th 2011	Trips	12
Last Login	February 24th 2024	Followers	82
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26th December 2015

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Maybe it will happen when...I'm reading your blog!
What fantastic pictures you paint with words and photos--I was transported back to Istanbul and could smell the spices and teas in the Egyptian market! My epiphanies there were in the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace and lying on the marble tables in hamams. Love your magical, secret journey to the top of the world at the Buyuk Valide Han--you brave adventurers!

26th December 2015

nancic123
Nanci and David Curry

Thanks, Tara....
as always, for the really nice compliments. I think we are always more naïve than brave. For instance, we are yet to be brave enough to try a hamam (although the idea sounds like fun). We have been going out to some of the newer parts of town the last couple of days. Beautiful malls and modern tall buildings. Quite a difference from old town Istanbul. We really like it here, so much to see and do. Thanks again for following along and we hope you have nice holidays and beginning of the new year!

10th January 2016

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Delicious hamams!
I'm an old hippie, so nude beaches, saunas and hamams are right up my alley. In some hamams, people are modest and wear a towel around their waist or more if you'd even want to put it higher (everyone is incredibly friendly and understanding). Once in Paris and once in Turkey, I let them massage me--don't. They use an incredibly stiff cloth to take the (old) skin off you. Many find this refreshing (afterwards) and enjoy the exfoliation. I've very sensitive skin and was almost crying. Other than that, lying around on marble stabs in exquisite, ancient buildings is safe and luxurious. I do hope you try one before you leave. Also try my veggie fave, Patlican Iman--incredibly rich and decadent eggplant. Loving your travels as always!

11th January 2016

nancic123
Nanci and David Curry

The one we missed...
The weather turned quite cold here and in fact it snowed for about a week of our month long visit. Many times we passed the local hamam and thought what a nice treat it would be to thaw ourselves out for a couple of hours, but alas, we never indulged. One of the things we'll probably look back and regret, I'm sure. We did however learn to make yummy use of the eggplants that seemed to be in every store. We cooked them in a variety of ways, all yummy. Too late to try your recommendation as we are leaving today, but it sounds delicious. Thanks for the recommendations and for reading!

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