Seminal Hotel Istanbul

... as Constantinople. Although losing it a couple of times, Constatinople became the capital of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire until they were defeated by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet 2 in 1453.

At its peak, in the 1500's around the time of Suleyman the Magnificant, the Ottoman Empire rivalled all the other major empires in history. Over time the Sultans removed themselves from state affairs and lived the good ...

... it's impossible to keep your body still while that hypnotic music is playing. The liquor is flowing, the hot days have become warm enveloping evenings, the moon and stars are dancing overhead, and you are filled with a sense of serenity. Your mind is transported to the days of the sultans and sultanas who ruled the Ottoman empire of old, and you ride your magic carpet off into the clouds. Great escapism, and not a bad way to spend a few days.

Istanbul, Turkey liliens

... heaps of his Apple tea) about how he could offer us a tour for only €1800 each!! We went away and thought about it for about 30 seconds... but hey, thanks dude for the ideas of where to go (he actually gave T the itinerary he wrote out especially). Turkey is a bit more expensive that we thought it would be though and so we've set ourselves a mean budget to stick to, which generally is just helping us see what we spend it all on (mainly food). Some days though, a bus ticket ...

... below (details for fellow travelers). We are coming in the back side. It is a small stately old church with unique walls, turret, curves and grooves. It became a mosque with the Ottomon, in 1948 it became a museum. The inside is just awe striking. We have seen mosaics before, most of them being floors, and the few in Aya Sofia this morning. These are beautiful, so many and in such an incredible state. More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chora_Chur ...

... about how impressive Aya Sofya was, but instead I'll tell the emotional tale of our visit. We were surprised to be told that only children 7 and under are admitted free. Up to this point all the sights in Turkey had been free for all the kids. Given the ticket price of $20 per person, Tracy suggested that maybe we should think about it over a cup of tea. The ticket agent then helped solve our problem. He agreed to sell us three tickets; the two girls ...

... trace your hand on a piece of paper, put an eye and a turkey beak on the thumb, and color the other fingers brown and orange to represent feathers. Turkey's southern coast is where the Russians vacation.

I wore jeans, because I wasn't sure if knee-exposing shorts were frowned upon. My average wait while hitchhiking was only three minutes. Great hitchhiking!

We passed "golu", lakes. In the hot and high interior, these sparkling lakes ...

... train to Ankara last night, am checked in at my hotel, but have yet to meet anyone from my new group. We are supposed to have our introductory meeting tonight, so hopefully there will be a note or some information when Ý get back. Ýstanbul .... where to start? Ý guess wýth the Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian to be the greatest church the world had ever seen. When the Muslims took over Constantinople ...

... one was conveniently located next to our hotel. Mind you it was one stop away from the "sites," but one stop is one stop. With many more weeks of walking, I didn't want to wear out my shoes on our first trip, so I convinced Jill to allow us to tram it up. When we got to mosque central, we first started by going to what is known as the Blue Mosque. We paraded with tons of tourists towards this massive structure and were greeted by someone who had a tag and badge around his ...

... Hank Azaria-esque 30-something man. We should all love our jobs as much as does, and should approach each task with as much gusto and panache. Fill in these forms, copy these documents and (wink) we'll see what we can do (bearing in mind we have already gone through a 30 day $120 preapproval). Forms are filled, documents are copied and even photos with Claude appropriately veiled are supplied. "All done - we have everything ...

... lined with kebab (spelt 'kebap' here) restaurants, travel agents, carpet emporiums and other attractions for tourists, one soon loses count of the number of times one is asked "Hello sir, how are you ?". And it's a genuine question. Of course, they would dearly love for you to come in and buy a kebab or a carpet, but if that's out of the question then they will settle for a courteous summary one's current health status. Last night, on our way into a restaurant, a boy excused himself and ...