This is Joanne (as I'm having some trouble logging in; go figure).
Another beautiful day in Istanbul. If the pictures were not so slow to load we would have an entire photo gallery to share. We've taken hundreds of great pictures. Everything is a photo opt!
Today, we did a self-directed tour. Started out at the Baslica Cistern which was the most amazing underground cistern, the biggest and most spectacular cistern in all of Istanbul. In its day, it provided water to the palaces in Instanbul. The ceiling is a forest of pillars; a total of 336. After that, we walked to the Hippodrome, which in its day was the site of chariot racing. Few remnants of that activity remain. But, the shopping (which clearly wasn't there centuries ago) is worth a stroll from one end to another. And from there we walked to the famous Blue Mosque which was exquisite. While it has beautiful blue tiles, truth be told, the tiles pale in comparison to what we saw in another of the 4,500 mosques. The tiles in that mosque are some of the oldest and most beautiful in all of Turkey. Who couldn't resist time in the Grand Bazaar. Incredible shopping experience! 400 vendors. Like, but then again, unlike, the MOA. Didn't stop me from buying a leather jacket:) And this was just the morning! From there, we had a most enjoyable, albeit quite warm, cruise on the Bosphorus. What a great way to see Eastern and Asian Istanbul! Stopped for some world famous yougurt on the Asis side. Must run now. Our guide and friend from Istanbul and his wife are taking us out to dinner! More to come tomorrow. Maybe pictures, but don't hold your breath. Joanne
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