Empress Zoe

... actually recognize, i.e. the likes of (in descending order of recognizability) Jesus, Mary, John the Baptist, Emperor Constantine, Empress Zoe (rhymes with Toe), etc. Furthermore, like any other tourist-worthy attraction, there was a juicy story waiting ...

... /07 After a week spent fending for ourselves in faraway lands (Bulgaria, Ireland, Romania, etc.) we made it to the Empress Zoe Hotel overlooking the Marmara Sea. First impressions? The locals were overly helpful, fish sandwiches from the dock aren't ...

... get there and lots of little streets to find our hotel but the driver made it!   Barb had made arrangements to stay at the Empress Zoe hotel that Matt Lauer had mentioned during his segment on Turkey.  The hotel is quite quaint!  You  have to go up ...

Map to the Empress ...

... . There are a number of beautiful mosaics in various stages of repair. The most stunning of these include that of the 11th century Empress Zoe seated next to Christ. On the left hand side of the picture is her husband. Which husband is a matter of some ...

... Constantinople and on the left Justinian I holding a model Hagia Sophia. We saw the Apse mosaic, Comnenus mosaic, Emperor Alexander and Empress Zoe mosaics as we had walked around- all on a similar theme of the Virgin or Jesus Pantocrator.    ...

... Christ and flanked by Emperor John II and Empress Irene.  On the other side we saw Christ with Emperor Constantine IX and Empress Zoe.  Finally we saw a hidden and faded Emperor Alexander mosaic in the northwest of the gallery. As we ended ...

... of being splayed across my couch like a lump? I might just do the whole ritual from the rooftop patio of the Hotel Empress Zoe... looking out over Istanbul (not Constantinople). Really, that doesn't sound so bad when I think about it. ;) One more ...

... back to "Tunel", then the tram. Back at the hostel, Murray has a rest, and Dianne goes for a walk to find the "Empress Zoe" hotel, which is very boutiquey.  Whole area has been restored with tourists in mind. Photo of Four Seasons Hotel, which used ...

Having survived seveal harrowing taxi rides, Istanbul is more than I ever expected. Yesterday on arrival at the Hotel Empress Zoe (beyond perfect) we walked to the ferry. Took an around about route, about three miles. Saw men fishing the Bosphorus ...

... was not, we had stumbled on the Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the divine souls of the emperor and his consort empress shoken. They had both passed away by 1914 so to commemorate their virtues and to venerate them forever the people donated 100,00 ...

... to the "tomb", much like the terracotta warriors in China.  It was all very interesting.  There were other burial sites of his Empress and his mother.  His house was turned into a temple, and there was a lake house that he used to relax ...