A fascinating day yesterday. We left Kusadasi in the evening and dined in the San Marco dining room knowing it was our last night after nearly 4 weeks aboard the Constellation. It was time to say goodbye to all the excellent staff who looked after us both in the cabin and in the dining room. The service on board, as well as the experience of sailing with the Celebrity Constellation has been outstanding. Coming into Istanbul through the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara is a unique experience. As you approach this incredible city which is almost the size of New York, familiar landmarks start to appear on the horizon. Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace all glide by on the port side as we came in to berth. The ship berthed at about 2 pm, but we were still able to spend one more night aboard so, in the afternoon we went for a walk into the city to familiarise ourselves and to get hold of some local currency, the Turkish Lira. Later in the night, on a warm balmy evening I went for a stroll on Deck 11 to get a nighttime glimpse of the city. The ship seemed totally deserted and I took a photo of the pool deck with not another person in sight.
Finally, this morning at about 8:00 am it was time to say goodbye to our home at sea and to find a taxi to the Tan Hotel in the city. I still can't believe that the four of us, plus all our luggage fitted into a medium size Fiat sedan. It meant that some suitcases travelled on our laps, but fortunately it was only a relatively short ride.
One we were settled into the Tan Hotel it was time to explore our surroundings, in a couple of hours we walked around the Grand Bazaar (4,000 shops in one great market), the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Hagia Sofia.
The historical significance of Istanbul is amazing. Located in the Hippodrome is an Egyptian obelisk which was first made in Egypt in 1140 BC, and was moved to Istanbul (Constantinople) by a Roman Emperor in 340 AD. The Egyptian hieroglyphs look like the were carved yesterday and they are over 3000 years old. Tomorrow we will start visiting some of these outstanding sites in earnest. Our hotel is located right in the middle of most attractions as well as great markets, shops and cafes.
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