Day 3-- So much to see in Istanbul!

Gunayden! That means "good morning" in Turkish.


We have had a very full day, with another one planned for tomorrow, so I will get this post done as quickly as possible so I can get to bed. Outside our hotel window I hear the un-nerving Moslem "call to prayer" so the day is ending.

When we left the hotel this morning it was clear and sunny. Today we visited the famous Blue Mosque, which was built in the early 1600s and has thousands of beautiful blue Isnik tiles on the walls. We enjoyed looking at the interior of the mosque, and took note of at sign that pointed to the small section in the back that was reserved for female worshippers. (Aren’t we thankful that in reality we are all equal worshippers in God’s sight!) To enter the mosque, we were asked to remove our shoes, which we did. As we exited the mosque the shoes had to be put back on again. They wanted people clear the entrance and walk out on the sidewalk before putting shoes back on because they had a sign posted on the steps. Obviously, Brad failed to read the sign!


It was only a short walk to the Hagia Sophia, which was a church building that was later converted to a mosque, and now serves a museum. It is supposed to be one of the great architectural works of the world, and is huge, but confusing, with the murals depicting scenes of Christianity along with Moslem icons on the walls.


Another short walk took us to Topkapi Palace, which was originally the residence for the sultans, but today is a wonderful museum. The buildings are set apart, requiring quite a bit of walking. Sharon and I tried to see as much as possible in the time we had there, so she and I did a rush-tour which required some rapid walking to see as much as we did in the time allowed. Of course we worked in the display of unbelievable jewels, a collection of fine porcelain, clothing of the sultans, and the famous Topkapi dagger. We even went to see the items they claim to be the hand of John the Baptist (enclosed in gold) and the "real" rod of Moses. (Do you have your doubts? So do we! However, we wanted to see them, just for curiosity. We don’t come to Istanbul every day, you know!)


The Architectural Museum could be an all-day stop, but we had to hit the highlights. Fortunately, Ferrell knew exactly where to take us so we could see the Biblically-related objects. Olen and Jack posed beside one of the reliefs of lions that originally came from Babylon. They (the lions, not Olen and Jack) were probably in Babylon when Daniel was there.




On to the Grand Bazaar! This famous bazaar is made up of 4000 tiny shops. Nothing is priced, and "haggle" is the accepted manner of pricing. There is so much there that it is all overwhelming. An enthusiastic salesman tried to talk Glenda and Sharon into purchasing one of his ornate lamps, but all they ended up purchasing in the bazaar was one ice cream bar each. Marge looked at a selection of scarves (while Dave patiently took a seat on the left), but she made no purchase there.



Our last stop for the day was for a cruise on the Bosphorus. By this time the clouds had moved in, the wind picked up, and it was a bit cool. Still, the boat trip was wonderful, and an experience not to be missed. Most of us experienced it from the glassed-in area on the boat.


We are back at the hotel and have plans to get to bed ASAP. Our wake-up call is coming at 5:15 in the morning, with our departure an hour later. (Don’t tell anyone we are on "vacation"! We are on a "study tour"!) Tomorrow we take an early flight to Ismir (Smyrna of the Bible), and there is a full day of sightseeing planned for the area there.


Incidentally, if you really want to keep up with this trip, I have found that we have four other "bloggers" on board…plus Ferrell and yours truly. You might want to check out thelucylife.blogspot.com (Lucy’s), mommyonrun.blogspot.com (this one is Carole’s), Normwebb.blogspot.com, and sharonshots.wordpress.com (photos by Sharon). Who knows if there are others? If those of you at home have the time to keep up with all of these, then you need to get a hobby. You probably have too much time on your hands!


The end of a great day! Enjoy yours.