Howells in a Castle

Wednesday 29^th April 2015

Today is an at sea day as we continue to sail towards Athens via the Dardenelles then into the Agean Sea and about 1:30pm the Captain expects we will alter to a westerly course and enter the Sea of Saronikos where we will Cape Sounion where the ancient temple of Poseidon is located before turning north west and head for Piraeus, the port for Athens.

A sleep in and late breakfast was the order of the day.

Weather and sea conditions are still excellent. Calm sea with only a 1m swell, light 10 knot breeze and expected maximum of 23°.

Not much to report today. Putting our feet up for a rest after all the walking over the last few days. Catching up on some washing and just reading a book.

Tuesday 28^th April 2015

Another early rise, 7:00am again this morning, breakfast in the buffet and then to the conference centre to meet our tour group for todays activities.

The weather gods continue to shine on us with yet another beautiful sunny day and a maximum of 23°.

We boarded the bus at 9:00am and drove back to the Hippodrome. From there we walked to the Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was originally a Christian Basilica built between 532 – 537. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 the Ottomans converted it into a mosque. In 1932 Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum. Over the years since it has been a museum there has been restoration works done that has uncovered evidence of its original use as a Christian Basilica.

Hagia Sophia

Following a short walk we were taken into a local carpet shop where we saw a demonstration on how carpets are hand made. At the end of the demonstration the fun began. About 10 high-pressure Turkish salesmen tried to harass us into purchasing carpets. One of them was trying to get me to buy a carpet (more the size of a door mat) for US$4,500. When I said no he offered it to me at the special discount price of US$2,500. I don’t know what he did not understand about NO, but I had to tell him about 5 times that I did not want it.

With the carpet experience behind us we walked to the Grand Bazar – one of the most famous markets in the world. Truly mind boggling. It has over 4000 shops under a huge roof and it would be easy to get lost. There are different sections for items such as leather, jewellery, food etc. We bought some Turkish delight.

The Basilica Cistern

The Grand Bazar

The carpet salesmen have nothing on those in the Bazar. You get harassed from all sides by people offering you this or that. One even stopped us and said he knew Russell Crow and then proceeded to show us a photo on his phone of him standing next to Tony Abbott. It was a real experience and it would have been interesting to spend more time there haggling.

Final stop on the tour was a visit to the Byzantine Basilica Cistern (underground Reservoir) 70m wide & 140M long with brick vaulting supported by 336 columns. Said to have been built by Emperor Constantinius I. Truly amazing.

Back on the bus for the return trip to the ship for lunch and a rest.

We sailed out of Istanbul harbour at 5:00pm and are now heading for Athens.

Tonight is formal night in the dining room so we donned our finery and headed to dinner t 6:00pm and then went to a show in the theatre.

Monday 27^th April 2015

Woke at 7:00am this morning just in time to see the ship docking in Istanbul.

Weather is still good, clear sky with an expected maximum temperature of 21°.

After breakfast in the buffet, fruit and omelette, we met out Group in the Conference Centre for our 9:00am tour.

First stop was the Hippodrome. Originally built in 198 AD by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus as a large stadium for chariot races, it is now a large pedestrian area between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia Museum. Numerous dogs and cats roam the area, fed and tagged by the council. They are quite tame and don’t seem to mind the crowds. They just lie down and sleep wherever they want. It seems the locals of Istanbul don’t keep their dogs & cats in their homes.

Next was a visit to the Blue Mosque, so called because its interior is covered with blue and white tiles. It was built between 1603 – 1617 by Sultan Ahmet I. Unlike any other mosque in Istanbul it has 6 distinctive minarets. Lynne had to wear a head scarf and we had to take off our shoes before we could enter.

After putting our shoes back on we walked to the Topkapi Palace, which, for over 300 years was the Grand Palace of the Ottoman Sultans. Built in 1453, it is now a museum. The tour ended about 1:00pm and we boarded the bus for the drive back to the ship. The road rules in Istanbul appear to be the same as in Rome, there are no rules. You take your life in your hands particularly when crossing the road. The traffic seems to speed up and does not have any regard for pedestrians.

We had lunch on board and then went off the ship and walked to a little local café nearby where I had a Turkish coffee, very thick and strong. As the café had free internet we stayed there for about 1½ hours checking emails and Lynne put some info on facebook.

After our little bit of exploring round Istanbul we returned to the ship for dinner.

P.S.

Phil, HMAS ANZAC was docked in Istanbul. Told them I knew you but was not able to go on board.