Turkey, the other, other white meat.

We flew from London to Istanbul and arrived to a much warmer and humid climate.

Our hotel had a great roof-top garden with a view of numerous mosques and the Bosporus.

We could see the ship traffic on it's way in/out of the Black Sea. This is southern Russia's main seaport for goods coming in and oil going out.









Next morning we were off at 6:30 Am (yikes) for a 2-day tour of Gallipoli and the ancient city of Troy.

Galippoli is best known for the failed invasion of the ANZAC (Austrian and New Zealand Army Corps) during WW1. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during the war.

The city of Troy is well-known for the Trojan war, Helen of Troy and the Trojan Horse. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Greeks after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably through Homer's Iliad.

The 5-hour drive back to Istanbul landed us back into the middle of a huge celebration for the opening of the city's new soccer stadium that lasted into the night....and our hotel was just across the street.

Louise took the package tour of Istanbul while Lynne and I went off on our own to see the sites. Here's a view of Taksim Square. Site of many protests and a few bombings....yikes !

Next day we wondered through the famous Süleymaniye Mosque. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in just 8 years.

Here's a shot from my drone.

At the four corners of the courtyard are the four minarets, a number only allowable to mosques endowed by a sultan.

And a look inside.  In case you are wondering, I did not see any radicalization going on.

We all went for a tour of the spice market. 

Nothing like shopping when your suitcase is already over weight :-)

Get 2, they're small.

  

One of these will make a nice gift.

That's it for now......