22 September - Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is one of the most amazing places I have ever experienced. It is a large, bustling city at the crossroad between Asia and Europe and absolutely bursting with a myriad of cultures. Despite being thousands of years old, and certainly preserving many of the antique aspects of the city, the overall impression is of a modern, and busy metropolis. The place is clean, the inhabitants look well dressed and everywhere you look there is a variety of stores and restaurants offering ... well everything you can imagine. The range and quality of food and goods is just staggering. The other impressive aspect of Istanbul is it's location. It is located on what must be one of the most protected harbours in the world. From the Mediterranean you first pass through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara. Istanbul is located right at the northern end of the Sea of Marmara and at the beginning of a 32 km natural straight called the Bosphorous. The Bosphorous Strait connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.
The variety and size of ships which navigate the Bosphorous includes large freighters and pleasure craft and today we even saw a Russian submarine pass through here. For the Russian navy the only access to the Medirranean is through the Bosphorous.

We started today with a 90 minute cruise along the Bosphorous. As you travel up this waterway it is lined with palaces, 1000 year old forts, cafes and restaurants and the homes and mansions of the rich and famous - simply stunning.

Our guide Denise, tried very hard to explain all the features we were cruising past, but we were a bit too preoccupied taking pictures and it was also hard to hear her above the rumble of the engine.

After the Bosphorous cruise our bus delivered us back to Sultanahmet, the suburb we are staying in where we once again visited our favourite coffee/pastry shop. This time we were allocated a table on the fifth floor (the roof of the building) which was accessed by the smallest elevator we've ever seen - 2 persons max. One benefit of this was a great view of the Blue Mosque .

Having restored our energy supplies with pastries it was time to visit Topkapi Palace. This huge palace was the home of several of the Ottoman emperors and is now a fantastic museum providing insights into the lifestyles of the Ottoman rulers.

We seemed to walk for miles to take in all the exhibits and eventually had to admit defeat and head for 'home'.

After cocktails and little naps we were ready to step out once again to one of the local restaurants here for dinner. In our area the restaurants, which are mostly open air are wall to wall and the smells are delicious. Back in the hotel now and time to go to bed soon. Tomorrow has been set aside for some shopping in the Grand Bazaar and the local markets.