Arrival in Istanbul

 After a day and a half of sailing due to our cancelled island visit we woke up to a fascinating site - entry in Istanbul, a city with a storied history at various times known as Byzantium, Constantinople and its present day name Istanbul. Istanbul is a city of 16 million people which spans two continents - Europe and Asia - separated by the Bosporus. Apparently 3 million people change continents everyday. The ferry traffic is truly amazing with hundreds of boats traversing the waterway every day.

We had booked a full day tour which began with a bus ride to the Blue Mosque (described this way because of the tens of thousands of blue tiles used in its interior. To enter we all had to remove our shoes and carry them around in bags that were provide to us. Also, the women were required to wear modest clothing (no bare shoulders or short skirts) and cover their head with a shall. The men could not wear shorts. The Blue Mosque is one of hundreds of mosques scattered throughout Istanbul.

After the mosque we went to a sultan’s palace. Very interesting displays of clothing, precious jewels and weapons of war. A lovely view from the European side to the Asian side. Very crowded with long lines.

We were then treated to a lovely lunch at the Petra Palace Hotel. Apparently this is the hotel that those that could afford the Orient Express would stay once they arrived in Istanbul. Agatha Christie made famous by Murder on the Oriente Express and many other books stayed here. The second oldest elevator still in operation is in this hotel. Marija is standing in front of it.

Then we went to Avery interesting demonstration of the making of Turkish rugs. Fascinating the process involved and the many months of work involved. After the demonstration we were invited to purchase a rug or two. There was a silk rug going for about $35,000 U.S. dollars. Lovely rugs but pricey. Fairly high pressure sales to try to convince us to buy. Tempted but resisted.

Then to the Grand Bizarre. Scary. Hundreds of shops mainly consisting of Jewelry, Turkish Delight, watches, electronics, scarves. Put our packs on our front to protect against shoplifting. Constant calling of the shop keepers to purchase goods. We resisted the temptation and were happy to leave as soon as possible. Haggling is there thing. We looked at one scarf & mistakenly asked the price. 120 Euro (I never did find out what it was made of). I chose a scarf the next day for 5 Euro. Seemed pretty similar.

Then back to the boat where there is nightly entertainment.

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