Turkiye Istanbul- 3

We stopped at Bursa on our way to Istanbul. Bursa is the center of the silk industry in Turkey. They have their own silk worms and the full production of silk. We spent a few hours and lunch there before we continued on to Istanbul. At Istanbul, we entered the rush hour traffic scene and made our way to our otel.

Our lodging was under remodeling, but we were close to many locations we wanted to visit, especially a waterfront area with markets and food and nightlife.

First we found an eczane or drugstore for some cream for a rash on my leg from bug bites walking somewhere in Iskele the day before.

Hagia Sophia Mosque finished in 537 AD, is very old with some recently exposed Christian Mosaics in some areas of the mosque. Nearby is the beautiful Blue Mosque. All around the area are open markets and food places.

The Basilica Cistern was an underground water storage space, one of several, built by the Romans to supply water to Istanbul. Its filled with Roman columns, 18 in of water, and walkways thru the columns. A small sculpture show was scattered through the walkways. It was dramatically lit and conducive to fun photography. We were early, so the crowds had not yet appeared.

The Egyptian Spice Market and surrounding open markets had an array of spices, teas, dried fruit, candies, nuts, but mostly spices and teas. The Grand Bazzar was closed for the hours we were in the area due to a foot race underway.

One day we took a ferry ride up the Bosphorus to the mouth of the Black Sea, spent a bit of time in the town at the end of the ferry route, then another ferry back to Istanbul. We stopped at small towns and communities along the ferry route on our way back.

At the end of the day, Doug and I visited the Galata Tower, a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul. It is now a museum with an outdoor balcony with nighttime views of Istanbul. Another fun photography time. It was late when we left the tower, but people were still in the streets. Businesses stay open as long as the people are around. Some teenagers were hanging out and started doing some ‘line’ type folk dancing to the music–I think. Doug and I found our way home.

At 8 am the next morning we left for the Istanbul Airport. Due to the chaos of the renovation work, our car was blocked in the secure parking, so we needed to get people around to move them. Made it to the airport and all went well on the flight to DIA.