Made it!

A ten hour flight, two crowded airports and a twenty-five minute ride into the Hotel on three hours sleep in thirty-six and we are in Istanbul.

A quick walk around the neighbourhood revealed a large selection of Cafes and tourist shops - not so many Pubs. Turkey being a Moslem Country alcohol is not readily available but can be bought in Cafe/Pubs. Settling in at a rooftop terrace (an advertised amenity) and buying far too much food for two we did find beer and walked home full and sated.

Next morning, after the included breakfast, we wandered off to find the artifacts and antiquities. Luckily, for the tourists the main sights of Istanbul are within walking distance of each other. The first area we found is a large square - Sultahnamet Square and is the original Roman Hippodrome, the Arena used by the Romans for racing chariots and holding circuses. On the East side of the Square the Blue Mosque and the Safia Hagia are sited. In between the two we found the stop for the Hopon Hopoff bus line. Buying a combo ticket - two lines, one boat trip and a walking tour we then boarded the Red line. This route wove around the East side of Old Town and the Northern part called "New Town". This trip gave us an idea of what this huge Metropolis is like - bustling, a little rundown but vibrant and very Muslim. There seems to be a Mosque on every corner and with ninety-nine per cent of the population being Muslim there is obviously no shortage of meeting places. Today's hopoff was at Yaksim Square the heart of the City, not much there but the main shopping street runs off it for a couple of kms.

But before we boarded the bus we visited the Basilica Cisterns (wikipedia reference here). This huge underground storage area is famous for two things - one is its very size and preservation and the other is that two of the columns have other ancient artifacts supporting them. The Heads of Medusa are even older than the Cisterns and scholars have wondered for Centuries about the use of them. The consensus is that the two columns needed extra height and these heads were used to get it. Having seen the Cistern and taken the bus we wandered back, through the throngs of the many sightseeing parties, to the Hotel, first day tiredness'n'all. Finding a place to eat for Dinner was no problem, just walk around the corner of this area and if the building is not a Hotel it will be a cafe.

All of the Diners appear to serve the same food and all of it is displayed on the menu outside so all one has to do is compare prices. But the food is not the same take the dish I had the second night - a casserole wonderful but looked odd due to its topping - pita bread.