Change in Plans

So, last year, Lee and I made plans to go on a photo safari in Africa through Road Scholar.  In May, we got a phone call saying that it was postponed to next August, so we had the whole month of October to reschedule something.  That something became a trip to Istanbul, Crete, Cyprus, and Malta! Thus, on October 1 - after our daughter’s wedding on September 1 and our niece’s wedding on September 29 - we flew from San Francisco, through Heathrow, to Istanbul.

Istanbul is so big, it’s difficult to describe.  We stayed in the old town, near the Blue Mosque and thee Hagia Sofia. I’m glad we did that since the remainder of Istanbul is very modern.  With the exception of the 3500 mosques, the 4 times daily calls to prayer, the huge number of Christian churches and synagogues, and - of course - the10th century wall surrounding the old city.  What a mix of cultures!

Day one we walked about 8 miles.  Istanbul is a very walkable city.  We went to the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and through Gulhanepark.  We stayed at the Gulhanepark Hotel - right in the heart of the old town.  So beautiful.  Clean.  Friendly.  Talking with several people, we found that the number of Americans going to Istanbul has decreased substantially since Trump took office.  Quel surprise?  Nope.

Day two, we took a guided tour to Gallipoli to see the battleground memorials.  Our guide said that very few Americans ever take this tour since it isn’t really part of our history.  How sad.  Lee and I both like history, so we’ve certainly read about Gallipoli - and I wonder every time I hear about it how Winston Churchill ever survived that politically.  The other people in our tour group were from Australia and New Zealand - which considering the number of ANZACS killed at Gallipoli - is no surprise.  There are several battleground cemeteries and a huge monument to Ataturk, the Turkish commanding general who would go on to become the first president of Turkey.  More Americans should travel to Gallipoli - it helps when you understand the history and how we got to where we are.

The final day there, we wandered over to the the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.  Took a Hop on Hop Off bus tour around Istanbul since we weren’t there for very long.  The rest of the city is just so modern.  The tour took us over the Bosporus Bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul. One city - two continents. Definitely a place to go.