Living the Travel Channel

Posted by Kanga.

We took advantage of a brightly sunny and mild day to take the ferry up the Bosphorus Strait to Anadolu Kavagi and back. There were many beautiful sights along the way.

Even though we were on a boat, I still managed to get a picture of a cat.

DaddyBird’s bare hands got cold after a while.

Our destination – Anadolu Kavagi

The ultimate in hawking – men were calling to us as the boat was landing, telling us that their restaurant was the best and cheapest.

If you have a house on the waterline, it is important to have a boat garage.

We had some lovely fish for lunch.

After our three hour exploration of Anadolu Kavagi, it was back to the ferry.

Our day was far from over, however, once we were back to shore. We headed up to Galata Tower.

And this is why we didn’t climb the tower –

We had dinner and did some souvenir shopping along Istiklal street and then took the funicular tram down the hill and then home to the hotel for a deserved rest.

For all of today’s pictures, click here.

Posted by Kanga.

We ventured across the Bosphorus to the Asian continent today.

Food vending carts are common all over Istanbul wherever pedestrians are present. This one has sesame seed covered bread rings. Roasted chestnuts are also common.

DaddyBird gave in and got his dirty shoes shined.

The other day I asked DaddyBird if we’ve ever had bad lentil soup. The answer is still “no.”

DaddyBird tried the cig kofte (chee coff tay) which is raw meat mixed with bulgar and spices.

The view out the window of our restaurant.

Posted by Kanga.

Brunch followed by rice pudding and tea, started our day.

Then off to the Blue Mosque to see it from the inside. (Kris, this will explain why it is called the Blue Mosque even though it looks mainly white from the outside.)

But, first, Mr. Affable (DaddyBird) got into a conversation with a stranger. This time not a carpet salesman, but a guy who asked to take a picture of DaddyBird’s beard. The beard continues to be a big attraction.

The Blue Mosque is so called due to the inside being covered in beautiful blue tiles.

It is supported by four massive columns.

For more pictures – click here.

Then we took a taxi up the Bosphorus to Istinye harbor.

We stopped in at Fish Var restaurant.

The waiter said the fish soup was good. He was seriously understating it. It was perfect.

Then came the fish, followed by dessert. We don’t know what this is, but it was delicious!

In the land of Turkish carpets, one hardly expects to see a masterpiece like this one. Today’s agenda, which was decided upon after we got up and were dressed, consisted of breakfast, walking through the Hippodrome area, walking down the hill along the tram tracks, and seeing the basilica cistern.

Breakfast, well lunch, but what’s in a name. This is at the Doy Doy Restaurant, just up the street from our hotel.

Then on to the Hippodrome area. There was once a hippodrome here, but now all that remains are three structures – Walled Column (above), Serpent Column (below) and Egyptian Obelisk (below that) all from the 4th century C.E.

Then we were off down the hill to get a closer look at things we’ve seen at higher speed from the tram.

Like this old growth tree.

This is the Parade Pavilion where sultans would view parades.

On to the Basilica Cistern…

…which is inhabited by fish.

See the rest of the photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/kangayayaroo/HippodromeBasilicaCistern#

Posted by Kanga.

A lot of fuss is made about the impact of technology on children. There are definitely some negatives, but I was heartened to see a group of school children on a museum field trip NOT bored and distracted, but with their arms in the air taking cell phone photos.

Posted by Kanga.

After the Hagia Eirene Museum, we toured the Topkapi Palace.

I’m actually glad we came during the winter. In the spring, these trees would be covered with leaves, which would be lovely, but the bare trees have their own grandeur.

This is the library, which no longer has any books. How sad is that? A beautiful place to study.

We picked the right day in terms of sunshine and clear skies. This is the view from the terrace restaurant.

Here is one of our lunch companions.

The tiles on nearly everything are quite beautiful.

This is the view up the Golden Horn from the Topkapi. The bridge is the Galata Bridge where we had tea and coffee a few days ago.

To see the rest of the pictures, check out the album at
http://picasaweb.google.com/kangayayaroo/TopkapiPalace#

Unfortunately, taking pictures was not allowed in the treasury. I don’t think I’ve ever seen emeralds that large. It is an amazing collection. You’ll have to visit yourself to see them though.

Posted by Kanga.

Today’s adventure begins with Hagia Eirene Museum. This is a Byzantine church (originally built circa 330 C.E.). Unfortunately, people aren’t allowed to enter the sanctuary. I would have loved to get a view of the dome from directly below.

In the outer areas of the church was a museum exhibit of artifacts from early inhabitants – the Hittites. Which has led me to conclude that there are no new ideas.

Like pottery with animal heads and mouth spouts. (I’ve never felt at ease with liquids that come out of an animal’s orifice.)

Or palm sized document devices.

Or alimony contracts.

Cribbage anyone?

Or a built in strainer.

Or a collander.

Yep, no new ideas.