January 15 - 18; Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is AMAZING!!! Bill and I escaped for a romantic getaway in Istanbul. Good friends of ours watched the kids. Istanbul is so unique, it is the crossroads where east meets west; a European city unlike any other we have seen. The skyline is dotted with mosques, the call to prayer sounds five times a day, and apple tea is served everywhere.

Our hotel. This hotel was amazing and at 49 euro a night, can NOT be beat. We walked everywhere from here, the location could not have been better.

In front of the Grand Bazaar, the oldest indoor shopping mall in the world.

Inside the Bazaar.

The architecture inside the Bazaar is amazing, the ceilings and walls are covered in mosaics.

On our way home from the Bazaar, we were lucky enough to catch a little outdoor traditional Turkish concert. It was interesting, but too chilly to stay outside for too long.

The backdrop of the concert was the beautiful Blue Mosque, I could not resist taking this picture.

Hagia Sophia. Originally constructed as a church in 532 AD. Later in 1453, when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, is was converted into a mosque. At 182' tall, the Statue of Liberty could do jumping jacks inside this dome.

When Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, they plastered over the Byzantine mosaics. Later when it was turned into a museum, many of the mosaics were uncovered and mostly intact....this was one of the most beautiful and intact mosaics.

These huge marble urns (there are four total) date back to Hellenistic times when they were used to hold oil or water.



St. George's column. Local legend states that if you put your thumb in the opening and turn it around in a complete circle, you will be healed of your ailments.

Checking our faithful guide near a fountain in Hagia Sophia.

The Blue Mosque at night......spectacular.

Inside the blue mosque.

The dome in the Blue Mosque.

This ancient Egyptian obelisk decorates the middle of the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was built in 200 AD by the Romans for chariot racing and public events. This obelisk was built in Egypt in 1500 BC, and once stood in Luxor before Constantine brought it to his city.

A close up of the bottom of the obelisk.

At least 2,487 years old, the Serpentine Colum is also in the Hippodrome. The heads of the serpents are in the Archaeology Museum in Istanbul.

This was by far one of the coolest things we did. This is the underground cistern which used to be the main source of water for the people of Constantinople. Bill had a blast taking these pictures. This one was the best!

At the far end of the cistern are two large columns which are held up by two giant stone carvings of Medusa. The origin of the heads is unknown. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons' gaze.

Topkapi Palace was very cool. This picture was taken in the sitting room of the Harem. Cameras are not allowed in many of the rooms, but we did see some cool treasures including the Topkapi emerald daggar, an 86 carat diamond, Moses’ rod, Abraham’s saucepan, John the Baptist’s hand and Mohammed’s footprint!

Inside the Harem.




The Spice Market!

Our rug guy, where we bought two hallway runners!!!!!