It's all Greek to me

Very busy day that started with the Olympic Stadium and continued through to Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and Hadrian's Library.  And just to bring us to modern time, we stopped by the Parliament on the way home.  I had been to the Acropolis 7 years ago when I came to Rome and Greece with Ian's High School Latin class but we didn't actually go into most of the other sites (Theatre of Dionysis, Agora, etc) so it was nice to see them up close.  The kids have been great despite all the walking and general lack of food (because they don't want to eat any of the local variety).  We were thrilled to find that Greece, unlike Turkey, had heard of drinking fountains!

Istanbul Highlights & Lowlights

Lowlights

• Pushy Vendors
• Smokers (everywhere)
• Lack of street signs
• Steep Hills

Highlights

• Well maintained public spaces (little trash and lots of flowers)
• Best Baklava ever
• The Blue Mosque
• The Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent
• The view from Galata Tower
• The Harem in the Topkapi Palace

Wonderful (and very full) Second Day in Istanbul

We were more prepared and did a much better job at getting to where we were planning to go.  First we went to what's left of the Hippodrome that now contains a couple of obelisks, a spiral (headless) snake column, and a large fountain given to a Sultan from Kaiser Wilhelm II. Then we visited the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, the Topkapi Palace, the Galata Tower and the Grand Bazaar.  The first day we saw the New Mosque, the Spice Market and the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent.

Photos uploaded and link added on right side menu under "Europe 2015 Photo"

Let's Talk Turkey

We saw more of Istanbul then we meant to since we went the wrong way and got stuck outside the old city walls.  But other then my poor blistered feet, it was all interesting.  The city is well cared for with little flowers planted here and there and city workers cleaning up trash.  Most of the roads in this older part of town are cobble stone and some are extremely steep.  I imagine I will be very sore tomorrow!  We ended up coming back to the apartment and taking naps in the afternoon, then went to the local market for some items for dinner.  We have tomorrow mapped out a little better, so hopefully can get in all the things we planned on seeing.  The call to prayer is lovely to hear coming from multiple mosques out over their speakers.

We made it!

Well it was a really long day but everything went as planned.  None of us really slept on the long haul from Phoenix to Heathrow and it was a long 4 hour stopover in London but we arrived in Istanbul, got through customs quickly and the driver was there to pick us up as planned.  He took us straight to the place we are staying where our host was waiting.  It's in an old part of town but the actual apartment is very nice and newly renovated.  Its on the 3rd floor and has a super strong, secure steal door.  We need to get to sleep now as it is 2am already here and we only have a little over 2 days to enjoy Istanbul but I'll see about posting some pics tomorrow.

The Adventure Begins

The time has finally come.  We are at Sky Harbor waiting to board our flight.  Next post from Turkey!

Working today and tomorrow, then taking 3 days vacation because my sabbatical doesn't officially start until next Tuesday, May 26th.