Thursday, September 24, 2009

ISTANBUL, Turkey!!!!






















We are presently sailing through the Dardenelles towards Istanbul...sept. 26 A night of strolling along through its streets. Overnight in the harbour. Another full day here seeing some mosques, palaces, etc.

Cannot get photos to load. Very busy in the internet on the ship. Very hard to keep up with the ports, seeing things, relaxing and the internet.

Yesterday, got stung by a wasp, second time this summer; this time my hand became very swollen, hot and achy. This morning to the dr. and am now on medicine and it seems to be letting up. Otherwise, all is good.

From here we enter the Black Sea. As you can see from the posts we are seeing an amazing number of ports, etc. This is a far too fast pace for me. Am looking forward to the Black Sea, places I've never seen.
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The first night here we took a taxi from the ferry up to Tenzine Square from where there are a large number of promenades running along modern shops and older-style markets. I felt like I was finally in an exotic place with the smells and sights of Turkey. About 6 years ago Jennifer and I were here for a l wk away from Israel. It brought back great memories and now I have new ones. Yes, things are busier than before, more modern but still the same exciting Istanbul and I re-discovered my old sidewalk cafe.
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The next day was a visit to the Treasury at the Tokpali Palace to see Ottoman treasures. Then to the Blue Mosque which was fantastic followed by a visit to the Grand Bazaar. Good times and a few treasures later.
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Left Istanbul ll pm , sailed under 2 bridges, and headed for the open waters of the Black Sea!












2 comments:

  1. Hi Mara, I hope you two enjoyed Istanbul, one of my favorite magical cities. It certainly sounds like you're covering a lot of territory quickly. But at least you're getting a peek at otherwise not so accessible spots. I'll look forward to reading more and seeing your pix when you get them up. Happy and safe travels, Ruth'(we're sweltering in late summer heat here! I even went swimming at Jericho last week!)

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  2. Wow! This certainly brings back great memories of the two of us wandering this magical city together.

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