Istanbul - 8:00 AM Thursday, May 5Th
It took me about 10 years to learn how to use my American Express credits to buy a free airline ticket. When I did we got two first class tickets on Delta non stop to Istanbul. Kimberly and I left on Sunday afternoon. We were able eat well and sleep on the plane which arrived in Turkey at 10:30 AM local time. With a 7 hour time difference it was 3:30 AM EDT on arrival. We checked into the Erguvan Hotel (a small establishment located near the Blue Mosque) We went out to see the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and then went to the spectacular "Grand Market" which has literally thousands of shops - 400 jewelers alone. I found a used "Zeno Watch - Basel" with a black-face which is about 200% larger than a normal watch - i.e. BIG! I love it because it has all 12 numbers very clearly, its BIG and it is named after my grandson Eric ZENO McCormick. I am going to suggest that Eric sell these watches on his website http://zenoproductions.com/. Eric is offering some very cool stuff on his web site - check it out. He is an author of considerable skill.
Just before we left Kimberly and I got pedometers about the size of a quarter. They measure the number of steps one walks. On Wednesday we walked 13,752 steps. Normal is 4,000, the target "gold standard" is 10,000. Most of these steps were spent during a six hour visit to Topkapi (the sultans place and Harem) where we saw extraordinary collections of Chinese porcelain, jewels and Itzak Tiles. Many of the 400 year old buildings and their decorations have been carefully restored since my last visit. We had lunch on a terrace in Topkapi where two rivers, the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia all meet. This took my breath away.
All of the flowering trees are in bloom here. On a trip up the Bosporus on Tuesday afternoon we could see 100's of these light purple flowering trees flowing up the hillsides behind the mansions along the river. The temperature is about 65 with a light breeze.
We visited the extraordinary Haghia Sophia, "the church of holy wisdom" which was built over two earlier churches by the Emperor Justinian in 537. It is absolutely enormous. So much so it tests credulity - was the architectural skill available at this early date to build it? It must have been an extraordinarily intimidating sight (as intended) during its first 1300 years. Signs of its conversion to a mosque in the 15Th century remain. It is now a "historical monument."
To ease Kimberly's transition to a Islamic culture we have been having breakfast at the Four Season's hotel each morning (Egg's Benedict) with French Press coffee and fresh orange juice.
I have a sense of total freedom here. I am find fascinating very old beautiful stuff around every corner. I am enjoying being with and talking to Kimberly 12 hours a day.
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