Yikes. I get to the airport at 4AM. Easy. Whisk through security; get to passport control and the agent asks me where my visa is? Whatttaa! I had no idea that I needed a visa. Good thing it is a fast and easy online solution. He lets me through and says I can secure the visa in Istanbul. I, of course, panic. But I was early, so I go straight to the gate. I still have plenty of time and start googling Turkish visa(s). EASY. A 15 minute online form, wait five minutes for approval, once approved—submit payment and voila (or whatever the Turkish word for voila is) another five minutes later and the visa is in my email inbox! I’m thinking this is my lucky day.
Good morning Istanbul. From the plane.Touchdown at 7:40AM. It is only a two hour flight from Tbilisi. The sun is rising, another perfect weather day.From the rooftop restaurant at the hotel. Hotel Arcadia Blue – Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey.Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque, through its architecture, interior design, and ceremonial activity, has cemented its place as the cultural icon of the Ottoman Empire, demonstrating for 400 years, just how powerful the Ottomans were.Hagia Sophia.City view. All while I am enjoying tea.
A quick walk around. I am close to a lot!
Entrance to Blue Mosque. They say the chains are there to force you to bow. It is also called the Sultan Ahmet cami, (cami is Turkish for mosque).
It was worth it to see the red carpet and old chandeliers. The tiles and stain glass are almost all blue. Stunning.It is beautiful and it’s almost prayer time. The mosque is open every day of the year but closed at prayer times for 90 minutes each day. And this is when you need a real camera.In Sultan Ahmet Square facing Hagia Sophia Mosque. It has been around for over 1600 years. I didn’t go in today it was prayer time.The Stone of Milion is all that remains of the 4th-century triumphal gate that served as the Byzantine zero-mile marker. Something about time reckoning throughout the world . . . so, what happened to Greenwich Mean Time? I need to find out more here.The Basilica Cistern. A quick walk through, it wasn’t crowded. The 1500 year old Basilica Cistern was primarily used as a water source throughout its history – today it attracts millions of visitors.The basilica is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. It is recently reopened from major renovations.Medusa. Why might you ask? Statues featuring Gorgon heads were used to protect sacred areas from evil. It is thought that the snake headed Medusa statues were placed in the cistern for this purpose.Oriental rug demonstration. They were beautiful—wool, cotton and silk. An artist at her craft.Spice Market. Built in 1664, it is so colorful! Offering spices, Turkish delights, caviar, dried nuts and so much more. Incredible smells of dried fruits, nuts and spices. I bought some tea, spices and goodies for Mike. From my room. I can’t wait to see this at night.From the rooftop restaurant – my room has about the same view, but too much glare from the windows for pictures.
Tomorrow, Bosphorus cruise with Turkish breakfast, early through midday. Meeting Annemarie tomorrow early evening.
Dream to Travel from NCM 