Istanbul

Number of images: 54
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2004
It was grey and rainy, but we didn't care. Istanbul was at once exotic and familiar. A big, big city like Chicago or London, but farther away than any of us had ever been from home.


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Istanbul
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Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque
From the ship, we could see both of these famous buildings. The Hagia Sophia is the closer of the two.
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Our Guide
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Blue Mosque
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Aled & Amalia
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Aled & Amalia
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Ceiling Design
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The Bigger Picture
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Women Only
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Candles
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Over-exposed to show the detail on the inside.
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More inside detail.
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Refreshment Stand
They were selling tea, coffee, and other refreshments.
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Can You See the Tree?
Rachel is convinced that this is the type of tree that served as the model for modern military camouflage.
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Our Guide, #37
...as we entered Topkapi Palace.
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Lunch Break
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Lunch Break
It cost millions of Turkish Lira to feed the four of us at this little place... which came out to a few dollars. Turkey re-valued their currency not too long afterward.
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Our Favorite Turkish Restaurant
It was one of the best meals we had on the entire trip.
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Grand Bazaar (outside)
Instead of heading back to the ship for lunch, we ducked out on our tour group and headed for the Grand Bazaar. Good choice.
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Rug Vendor
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The Grand Bazaar
We used to brag that the first indoor shopping mall was built in Minnesota.
Wrong-o.
The Grand Bazaar is clearly much older than Southdale.
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Turkish Deli
We stopped in this little shop so that Amalia could stock up on chocolates. When we got home, she stored them away and was very good at pacing herself. Too good, in fact. Some of them got a little stale.
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Jewelry Seller
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Jewelry Seller
Rachel really liked this woman and the jewelry she was selling. We picked up several presents for folks back home.
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Mini Minaret
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Inside Hagia Sophia
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Inside Hagia Sophia
The pillars were taken (a very long time ago) from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
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Huge Water Urn
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Huge Water Urn
There are two of these in the Hagia Sophia. They hold over 300 gallons of water each.
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Ramp
Instead of stairs there was a ramp, making it easier to carry the queen's sedan chair to the second floor.
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Second Floor
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Second Floor
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View from the Balcony
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Heading Back
That's our ship in the background.
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Fishing Bridge
...and the Blue Mosque.