Bulvar Palas Hotel Istanbul

... own character. Our neighborhood is Galatasaray (pronounced "Gal-ah-tass-ah-rye"), which is home to some incredibly historic sites. The most famous of these is probably the Galatasaray Lisesi (Galatasaray High School), which is the oldest high school in Istanbul and the second oldest center of education in the city (established slightly later than Istanbul University). The high school was founded in 1481 -- a far cry from the high school I went to ...

istanbul is our favorite city so far. there is so much to do, it's got beautiful buildings to look at, the culture is fascinating and turkish people are overwhelmingly friendly and hospitable. it's mind boggling how friendly they are. it makes me want to go back to vancouver and be way nicer to tourists to welcome them to our city.

anyhow we went to see the archaeology museum with trace and the gang. we did a day tour with a super helpful guide who took us to ...

... any of that...

This last week has been a little less filled with activity than previous weeks. I've spent more time getting to know Utku's family and less time sightseeing. That doesn't mean it has been any less interesting. I have discussed religion and morals with Gulgan's fiancee (soon to be Utku's uncle), I have learned the games of Turkish Checkers and Okey (pronounced like okay ...

... we will do our best to answer them quickly So, after another Turkish breakfast, we take off to see more sights in Istanbul. First stop, the impressive Aya Sofya. The Aya Sofya, as it is also known, or, the "church of holy wisdom", is considered one of the world's greatest architectural achievements. Built in the 6th century, it is a jaw dropping structure. The huge church was built over two earlier churches and was inaugurated by the ...

... This was to have been our first stop - but thanks to Obama - it was our last. The Aya Sophia was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It was originally a church. When the Ottoman Turks took over, they made it a Mosque. When Attaturk lead the country to become a democratic nation, he decreed that it should not be Mosque or Church, but rather a museum. That is what we saw today. The most impressive thing was ...

... by two escorts. She also explained that they had been living in England illegally for three years and were claiming benefits even though they weren't working. The actually had to call a police officer on board before we left. Then, a passenger failed to show up at the gate so they had to remove his luggage from the plane. Needless to say, we were delayed. And then the on board audio visual equipment didn't work. The Istanbul airport was quiet when we arrived. There ...

... the people of Turkey. -They support increasing the standard of living in Turkey -They support increased educational opportunities for the young people of Turkey -Turkey is a young country; it has a population of 70 million people and 70% of that population is under the age of 35. -Modern Turkey has a history of military coups. Most recently they had had a non-violent military coup resulting in a revised constitution; a 1997 non-violent coup; last year an ...

... As our Hotel was so central not only did we regularly fall asleep to amplified calls for Prayer Time by the Blue Mosque, but we also fell asleep to the melodic soft sounds of Turkish "chill out" music from the nearby bar. You would imagine all this noise would have driven you to suicide valley but it was really lovely. Lying in the dark, snuggling, listening through our open window to the gentle music and amplified Prayer Calls. Much better than my husband's bloody snoring anyway ...

... told me the story of the evil eye, which angela can tell you in a later post. now, we are about to embark on a 6+ hours bus trip to go see ted. that should be fun... i hoped you enjoyed my guest entry; however, it will be my last since angela keeps correcting all my typos and grammatical errors. i apologize for these mistakes and hope that they did not ruin your reading experience. pictures to follow once we find ted!

... massage begins. Ouch! He sure isn't going easy on me. He is grunting and groaning with all the effort he is putting into stretching out my muscles. After getting beaten up fairly badly, I am told to lie face down and it begins again. Somehow, at the end, I am actually feeling better. Next he takes me to the outer edge of the circular room next to a marble wash basin that has hot and cold taps running into it. He mixes up some hot water, throws in ...