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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Legend of the Wishing Wall
June 25, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
There's a wall in the Hagia Sophia with a small, perpetually damp indentation framed in copper. Legend has it that if you put your thumb in the hole & turn it clockwise, your physical ills may be cured. All of us gave it a try.Read more
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Basilica Cistern
June 25, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Dan Brown's "Inferno", which Larry read last year, contains a vivid chase scene through the Basilica Cistern. We had to check it out! Plus it was very cave like. The underground cistern originally held the water supply for the palace in Istanbul but now contains only about a foot of water. It was mostly too dark for pictures but we got some shots of the columns of Medusa which are positioned upside down.
After our morning sightseeing, we were warmly welcomed to lunch by the proprietor of The Han Restaurant and enjoyed Gozleme prepared by a older woman in the window of the cafe. As we were to experience throughout Istanbul, the Turkish hospitality included a flavorful tea, on the house.Read more
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Birthday dinner & Blue Mosque Light Show
June 25, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Just up the street from our hotel was the Old House Restaurant which was highly rated on Trip Advisor and a great choice for my birthday dinner. Great food & service as the hospitality extended to tea & baklava. We continued the celebration on the rooftop bar of our hotel, sharing a carafe of raki & watching the sun set behind the Blue Mosque. After the Call to Prayer, we were treated to the nightly light show, a half hour history of the Mosque, broadcast through speakers as the building was lit up by changing brightly colored lights. A spectacular ending to my 60th birthday.
We had become a bit alarmed about the loudly broadcast Call to Prayer which we learned occurred 5 times a day and was expected at sunrise. Our concern was warranted when we were awoken at 3:30 a.m. by the now familiar chanting. Luckily it was short lived and everyone got back to sleep.Read more
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Spice Bazaar
June 26, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Our morning began with a brisk walk to the Spice Bazaar, where we were charmed by the vendors into several purchases. Larry even got a genuine fake Gucci wallet!
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Topkapi Palace
June 26, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The home of the Ottoman Sultans is a massive grand compound filled with impressive architecture, mosaics and porcelain treasures. After touring many of the hundreds of rooms, we made our way back to the comfort of the Han for more Gozleme.Read more
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Goodbye Istanbul
June 26, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Our final evening was quiet. We had a good dinner at another neighboring restaurant & another round of drinks at the rooftop bar, enjoying the light show & snapping some pics of the Hagia Sophia.
An uneventful trip back to Canada but this time with free movies and drinks. I was a bit teary saying goodbye to Nikki in Toronto but our plan to visit in September softened the blow. After arriving in Tampa, we saw the most amazing sunset on the drive back reminding us how much we love our home.Read more
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Greece & Turkey cruise Cathy Duguay
Postscript
June 27, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
I was dropping Dani off at Sarasota for her flight back to Atlanta the following day when I learned about the terrorist attack at the Istanbul airport. We all felt an immense sadness for the gracious people of this beautiful country who had been so welcoming to us. In the aftermath my pride in my girls and my husband made me very aware of what's important in life.
Larry put it well "Don't let the recent bombing in Istanbul scar our vacation. Think of all the good times and friendly staff. I was not scared at any time, and never will be"Read more
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Trip end
June 27, 2016