Allstar SV Boutique Hotel Istanbul

... in the harem ( one had 112 children). The workings of this system with the influence of the Sultans mother, his chief advisor, his head eunuch, his numerous wives and his harem makes for interesting reading. For example for many centuries, once a new Sultan was installed, the remaining male heirs were all killed to eliminate challengers.

The Ottoman Empire declined and by 1900 was commonly referred to as ...

... there, we journeyed to the thriving city of Antalya itself, full of history, narrow streets, picturesque buildings, quaint shops and stands loaded with tourist-oriented goods, and a lovely shore. We stayed near the beach, and promenaded past the countless cafes, took a moonlit cruise of the harbour, and had a romantic dinner on this, our second-to-last night of our trip.

The next day, we jetted to Istanbul, where we were accosted by the sights and ...

... accommodation is a days budget... but don't fret, we splash out a little extra for food and entertainment. We managed to get a bus ticket to Gallipoli... now you're probably thinking that it should be no problems, but in Istanbul the bus station is miles out so Travel Agents sell them. Of course they also want to sell you the whole package, which we couldn't be bothered hearing about. Highs: The sights of Istanbul... more than impressive. Lows: Accommodation we had was pretty poo.

... The return trip back to the Blue Mosque area was easy. We stopped at McD's for a milk shak and then I went for a Turkish Bath! This was quite the experience and one that I definitely wanted to have in Turkey. This bath has a side for men and a side for women, once inside I was in the courtyard area, then went upstairs, changed, put on the pestemal and crocks, downstairs and directed into the sweating area or "Hararet", there is a low marble platform called ...

... go in free, but if anyone were to ask us we should tell them that Laura was only 7 years old (not her true age of 9). To set a good example, we have made a point of not lying about the kids' ages to get reduced ticket prices. We figured this situation was okay since it was the ticket agent himself who was suggesting it. Besides the children were far too busy being a nuisance in the line to even notice the discussion with the ticket agent. [How's that for ...

... up, were surrounded by hard mud, and lay in big basins beneath white-sand cliffs.

Most of the people who picked me up and with whom I couldn't talk were nice. But, one mud-skinned and one white-skinned trucker each seemed to hint they wanted sex. Eww, bad hitchhiking!

When I got to the southern coast, I started looking for a job working with Russian tourists. Some Turkish restaurant owners felt bad they couldn't offer me a job, so ...

... became a mosque, and now ıs a museum. For some reason, this particular building stood out in my memory of Art History 101 as a place İ really wanted to see someday. It took me 35 years, but İ finally saw it! There are a lot of renovation projects going on in İstanbul, and the enormous tower of scaffolding ın the center of the nave doesn`t do anything for the atmosphere, but it is still an incredible building. İt was built to make the ...

... Needless to say if you haven't been to Istanbul their main industry seems to be 1) apple tea; 2) carpets and 3) leather goods. The guy, who was very nice, spoke great English explained to us that the main entrance was for locals and visitors had to enter around the building. Usually I'm not very trusting of people who lend free information at tourist destinations and like I suspected, the man had a hidden agenda, although not harmful in nature (more to come). We walked ...

... Claude chirped to him across the counter. Concerned looks. Head shaking "Oh no, you most certainly don't have everything." He sits silent, adding nothing more, revelling in the drama of the moment. "You need a little plastic sheet!" and he florally produces one from beneath his desk for illustration. Out to the stationer's to buy one, then we queue again to try submitting again. Have we paid in advance for our visa? We had not ...

... out to us that, surely we had made some mistake but his kebab shop was a little further down the street. It is impossible for us not to compare the Turks with the rudeness of the Greeks.

Even the shoeshine boys, seen by some as street urchins, manage to turn on the charm.

Boy: "How are you sir ? Shoeshine ?"

JH: "No thanks, my boots are made of suede"

Boy: "Where are you from"

JH: "I'm from England and she's from Denmark"

Boy: "Where ...