Today we awoke to an overcast day and ambled down for breakfast. Still full from the magnificent meal from last night I settled on a coffee, some toast and a few Turkish cakes.
Picked up at 8.20 by a guide we headed off for the day. There was 10 of us from the hotel and we jumped into the bus. So far so good. At the office we were joined by 22 others. Not so good as we were led to believe it would be a maximum of 18. First stop on the way to the harbour was a mosque and we we were bundled in by the guide (Tuba) to see inside. Following a flag wasn't a great way to start. The Rustem Pasha was built in 1561 and it's claim to fame is the iznic tiles (blue) that adorn the interior.
Then off to the spice bazaar. This place is fantastic with stall holders plying their trade with "come in and have a look" all the while offering taste tests of Turkish Delight and smell of spices that they offered up to sniff test. The colour and smell of the market hit our senses like a brick and we wandered from shop to shop tasting and buying a little bit all the while thinking we need to come back here and spend longer.
A short walk and we were on the wharf and then onto a boat that was to transport us down the Bosphorus River. A huge boat just for our group of 32. The river is the main artery for shipping to the Black Sea and is 50 metres deep to cater for the ships travelling in and out. It's a busy thoroughfare and we marvelled at the way traffic flowed up and down. The river separates Asia from Europe and divides Istanbul into two regions. The building along the river is in part quite spectacular and is a great backdrop for photography.
From the boat we travelled to a restaurant for lunch that had a magnificent view of the harbour and river as it was high on the Asian side. Who would have thought we would be in Asia for lunch!!
Lunch done we went to Dolmabahce Palace built in 1856. A very fine Palace with lovely gardens by the river. Adorned by Crystal Chandeliers, the largest one in the world hangs in the Grand Ceremonial Hall weighing 4.5 ton with 750 candle holders since replaced by globes.
This concluded our tour other than some crazy Dutchmen that wanted to do a Leather Shop Tour. We bundled those 5 out and we went back to our hotel. It was a pretty long day so with puffed feet we hobbled up the cobblestonnne alley to our hotel, grabbed a beer from the bar and sat to reflect on the day.
