President Hotel Istanbul

... walking up hill, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. Finally, finally I stumbled upon a Best Western-The Best Western President Hotel to be precise. From the street I could see that the hotel had a rooftop patio. I was intrigued. I figured ...

April 3, 2010 Today is our first day in Istanbul, getting from the airport to our hotel was an adventure we did not anticipate. We took the metro from the airport then connecting a tram to our hotel. The tram was packed like nobody's business. We were ...

... the cob. They were a nice treat after a long afternoon of walking around. Topkapi Palace: another extremely famous landmark of Istanbul. The palace is huge, with four courtyards, and plenty of exhibits scattered around to provide an insight into the life ...

... entire day on the bus for a 4.5 hour trip..first a WC stop then lunch then another WC stop...ugh! So we arrived in Istanbul to late to see any sights. We did however, have perfect weather for Bosphorus cruise. Later tonight the farewell dinner. Early ...

... Eurasia. Actually, the city was still called Constantinople until the early 20th century when Ataturk (president or prime minister?) instituted monumental changes in Turkey. Istanbul Due to "misrule" by the Ottoman Sultans in the 16th & 17th ...

... again no pictures allowed...but see below for what I was able to sneak. The traditional Bulgarian gaurds at the President's office, the archeology muesem, and the large Jewish synagoge were next on our tour this morning. Saw a couple groups of ...

... of worship for the followers of Islam until the 20th century at which time it was converted to a museum by the Turkish president Ataturk.    Walking into the church we are amazed by the sheer enormity of the structure.  Not only ...

... nbsp; I still don't get it...  Anyways it was pouring rain - but the good news is that it appears we beat President Obama by at least an hour.  There were uniformed guards EVERYWHERE - lining the streets in the pouring rain.  I just ...

This was the day we were to visit Ayasofia, but President Obama came to town and everything was closed from very early in the morning until after his afternoon visit. Security was exceptional, as it should be. We walked all around the blocked off area ...

... , the Hagia Sophia was converted into a Mosque.   Finally in 1935, after years of religious craziness, the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed the building into a museum.  I can ...

... The visit concluded at 4 PM & thereafter I went to Lions Club to present the Calcutta club flag to Istanbul club. I was received by President & other executive embers to whom I presented the flag of North Calcutta Club. July 23rd Istanbul After having ...

... and the New City (Post-800AD). We got to watch the activity on the water. We walked back to our hotel and met our car to the airport. The Istanbul Ataturk (what else) Airport is very nice. The security and check-in is very efficient, and the terminal ...

... the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1923 and the subsequent formation of the modern Republic of Turkey by Atatürk, its first President and hailed glorious founder of the nation, Turkey has found itself at the forefront of the fight between a secular ...

... sits across a park from the Blue Mosque, a Church turned Mosque that was finally turned into a Museum by the first elected president, Ataturk, to settle the debate. This place got to charge admission and is under a constant state of renovation, peeling ...

... unless we wanted to pay 2.50 euro for 15 minutes, we weren't getting on here! So last night in Athens we stayed at The President Hotel with our Contiki group. Some of us went to a get to know you dinner at a traditional Greek restaurant. It was yummy ...

Today I went on a city tour. Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Spice Bazaar. Mostly, I wandered around by myself...away from the rest of the group. Everyone is nice, but the guide is over-the-top with facts, I wish I was interested...I'm just not ...

I have FINALLY arrived in Istanbul. I say finally, primarily due to the fact that I left Tuesday at 5pm and it is now Wednesday 11:55pm. In addition, I was nearly arrested at Heathrow airport and sent back to America. While waiting to board my plane, I ...

... ;  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Uzbekistan.  Before we came, reading about it being a Police State with the President being in complete control, and the Police continually soliciting bribes, made us a little anxious, but we had no problems ...

... three days in Istanbul then caught our 13-day tour across the country, which will end in Istanbul for another two days. In Istanbul, our hotel is located in the center of the Old City, which is surrounded by an ancient fortified wall. This is truly a ...

... mosque. The next five centuries did not witness any major makeovers for the Hagia Sophia, until 1934, when the erstwhile Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ordained that it be henceforth turned into a museum, open to all and sundry, Hagia Sophia is ...