Day 2-3

The rest of our first day in Istanbul was eventful. After gingerly walking around the Blue Mosque for a little while, a man started talking to us. He convinced us to go into the Mosque, for which Rose had to put her scarf over her head. I think she believes it was worth it - the detail on the walls inside made it worthwhile for her.

Our new friend was waiting at the exit for us. He walked us through the bazaar to his carpet shop, promising to show us his "magic flying carpet". He had a nice store, and took us upstairs to demostrate his wares, and offer us some hospitality.

Rose and I instantly fell in love with a silk carpet which would have been the same size as a large teatowel. No matter what Mustafa showed us, we always came back to that carpet. He told intricate stories of questionable accuracy, but this carpet, which changed complexion when viewed from different angles, had our complete devotion.

Eventually, after some Apple Tea and forty-five minutes of swirling carpets, we got down to cost. He gladly gave us the price in Australian Dollars for the one we had our eye on: $3280.

If it had been $500, we would have it right now. Unfortunately we had to leave Mustafa (after he showed us some cheaper stuff which we could not abide) and his shop empty handed. We were pretty tired anyway from the long flight, so the rest of the day (or what was left of it) was spent relaxing and eating dinner, which was pretty average.

Next morning started at 5:15am when morning prayers were announced all over town. The alarm was set for 7:00am, but that was folly. Breakfast in Turkey consists of some more Western European things like Corn Flakes and Toast (but it was Vienna Style loaf sliced rather than larger bread), but the local variant also included pastrys with fetta cheese, some cured meats, some greens, raw tomato, cucumber, and French Toast. Our intention is to eat as much for breakfast as we can each day as it is included in our package. We didn't disappoint.

Tea is interesting in Turkey, especially for someone who likes their tea as weak as Rose does. Breakfast's offering had been brewing in an urn for what seemed like hours, so Rose could only manage one sip. Same for morning tea later in the day, when the tea was too strong and bitter. Coffee isn't too my liking too much either, but I've had the local variety, and some of their attempts at Western Style Coffee.

Also, Coca-Cola is a lot less fizzy here, so goes flat quicker. By Day 3 I was onto bottled water, which is incredibly cheap (1.5 litres costing 1 Turkish Lira, or about 70 cents).

Our post-breakfast stroll took us into the main park, which includes a massive statue of Ataturk.

I tried to imitate his incredible stare in one of the photos, but to no avail. Mustafa Kemal, better known as Ataturk, was a fearsome battle commander who fought the Australians at Gallipoli and Palestine.

He became the father of the modern Turkey, creating it as the secular Islamic democracy. His image is on every note of currency here, and also around in many buildings.

Turks are very nationalistic, and the flag flies on many buildings here in Istanbul. And for many Turks, Ataturk is their hero. It's difficult to think of any other nation which holds such intense devotion to one founding father.

After the park, we went to the Hagia Sophia, the world famous building which was the World's Largest Cathedral for 1000 years, then a Mosque for 500 after the conquering of Constantinople, and finally, at the insistence of Ataturk himself, now a Museum.

While not as pretty as the Blue Mosque, the structure is huge, and some excavations just outside date 1600 years. The remaining Mosaics inside are devoted to the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus on the most part, except for the most famous Mosaic of Judgement Day, of which roughly half remains. The burial places of many Sultans and their relatives live next door.

The afternoon was spent cruising the strait which separates Europe and Asia, and also leads into the Black Sea. Tankers and other large ships wait hours to get through these narrow straits. Temples, which all seemed to be built in the 19th Century, line the shores.

I must confess my first voyage on the high seas (the Murray River or the Swan River don't really count) took a bit of getting used to, but the trip was the favourite part of the two days in Istanbul for both of us. We disembarked on the other side (Asia), and got to see a bit of the real Turkey, rather than the touristy stuff in the Old City. We also managed to do a bit of shopping.

When we returned we walked from the wharf through the Grand Bazaar, which vaguely resembles Queen Victoria Market at Christmas on crack. An amazing experience. After exiting the Bazaar, the famed Lewis sense of direction failed me, and we walked around in circles for a little while. A familiar Dominos Pizza jogged the memory, and we managed to find our hotel.

The fact that the long walk tired us out was serendipidous, as we decided on dinner just across the road (more like a laneway) from our hotel. While on our first night, Rose's kebabs were too spicey for her liking and my lamb was pedestrian, on this occasion I had some great Calamari with yoghurt, then we both partaked some of the best chicken wings anyone could possible have.

Anyway, we're ready for Gallipoli and Troy tomorrow, and we leave the hotel at 6:00am. Time for sleep.