Our Last Day in Istanbul

Last day in an incredible city, and we saved one of the best for last. This morning we visited the Hagia Sofia Cathedral, built by the Byzantines around 500AD, but converted rather hastily by the Ottomans in 1453 to a Mosque. The old Christian symbols were plastered over and replaced with Moslem symbols. Several centuries later much of the plaster fell off revealing the Christian paintings underneath. This must have been distressing to the Moslem worshippers. In the 1930's it was converted into a Museum showing its dual purpose as a cathedral and a mosque.





This was followed by a quick trip to the Medusa's head in the Basilica Cistern. The cistern was built 1500 years ago and used to store water for the people of the Hagia Sophia area of the city. In the 1800s it was restored and provided water for Topkapi Palace.


We took some time to sit in the park between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and reflect on all that we have seen and done in Istanbul. People watching is always a favorite pass time and this was a perfect place for it!! We stopped for lunch and beer at a small cafe on one of the side streets nearby.

It will be tough to leave Istanbul tomorrow morning, but Bosnia (Mostar) and Croatia awaits.

Saturday in Istanbul

Today is our second last day in Istanbul. We visited the Blue Mosque, built in seven years following the Ottoman Conquest of 1453. Magnificent architecture, no shorts or short skirts, ladies had to cover their heads and arms, men and ladies had to remove their shoes. Thankfully I had brought along my own scarf and did not have to borrow from the mosque.


Then we boarded a ship for a cruise of the Bosphorus Straits that separate Europe and Asia. Historically very important, the Bosphorus also joins the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Fishing boats, tankers, freighters, yachts and pleasure craft of all kinds can be seen. On the shore huge numbers of multimillion dollar homes, lavish hotels, and, of course. mosques can be seen.

The cruise goes under the Bosphorus bridge, built in the early '70s that connected Europe and Asia. 10 TL and 90 minutes later and we were back at the Galata Bridge. Then an afternoon stroll through the Spice Market and some local markets areas near there. It is estimated that 400,000 people visit these markets every day! I think we bumped into half of them.





We ended the day with a magnificent meal of turkish cuisine on the rooftop terrace of a nearby hotel. The view was spectacular, too bad we left the camera back at the hotel. The Bosphorus Bridge was lit with changing colored lights and with the full moon in the distance it rivaled the Eiffel Tower for its light show.

These Feet Were Made For Walking

Today we started out with a visit to Topkapi Palace, the imperial residence of the ottoman household. There are many priceless collections stored at the palace, and the views of Europe and Asia on the Bosphorus Strait are fabulous.


We also toured the harem which is where the sultans used to live with their families and saw the three sections: the area allocated to the sultan, the area for the mother of the sultan and the area where the area reserved for the sultan’s favorite concubine. An interesting place to visit!!!


The sun was fighting to break through the cloud cover we have had for the past 2 days so we took our time strolling around the Hippodrome, the Arasta Bazaar and the grounds around the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. There seemed to be many more people walking around the tourist areas today, as well as school children in their uniforms. With the weekend also come more visitors so we expect it to be much busier the next couple of days.

In the afternoon we took the tram to Karakoy and walked up to the Galata Tower. This was not an easy walk and I questioned the whereabouts of the funicular that is supposed to run to the top of the hill. Thankfully, there is an elevator that takes you most of the way to the top. We arrived at the top to find the observation deck that goes around the outside of the tower crowded and then we were reminded about how much neither of us is fond of edges.


The walk down was much easier and we walked across the Galata Bridge and watched the fishermen. It must have been a good day for fishing because they were shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the bridge!!


By the time we made it back to the hotel we had walked 17 km and it was time for a beer and a rest. Our favorite watering hole is the Red River Pub. The staff was very excited when we gave them photos F&C had sent from their visit in July. After a rest it was off to find a place for dinner. We have tried a different restaurant each night and sampled a variety of dishes. There are so many choices and we are running out of time.

Visiting the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market

This morning we decided to visit the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. We entered the bazaar through the main gate and were amazed at the huge number of jewelry stores lining the street, selling watches, diamonds and gems of all kinds. Then we entered the leather district, full of jackets and hand bags. A salesman who was eager to make his first sale of the day stopped us. He soon realized we weren’t interested in buying anything but he was interested in what our impressions of “his city” were and also made some suggestions of places we should be sure to visit while in Istanbul. Many of the shopkeepers call out as you pass, offering bargains and trying to entice you into their shops. Everything you could possibly want was for sale, one street was lined with shops selling wedding and formal gowns, traditional clothing for the Turkish women, shoes, and lingerie. Another street had a zipper shop, one selling only buttons, fabric shops of all kinds, stores with sequins, lace and thread, definitely a dressmakers dream!!!! We walked around for a couple hours, but didn’t come close to seeing it all. When we stopped to purchase a few souvenirs, we enjoyed conversations with the shopkeepers about Canada, sports and the history of Turkey.

From the Grand Bazaar it is a short walk to the Spice Market. It was easy to know when we were getting close because of the wonderful aromas of spices. As well as spices, there were cheeses, olives, coffee, fruits and nuts and other items for sale. We sampled a few of the spices before buying some paprika and we also enjoyed tasting the chocolate covered lokum (Turkish delight candy) which offered at many of the stalls.

HO HO in Istanbul

We took the Hop On Hop Off city tour of Istanbul today.


We saw the line fishermen on the Galata Bridge.


The more modern part of Istanbul centers around Taksim Square. this is also where all the buses stop and people use this as a meeting place.


There is a long pedestrian walkway with upscale shopping. The crowds were unbelievable. Some of the side streets had fresh veggies and fruits, fish and meat for sale.
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The bus took us past the ruins of the old walls of Istanbul.






We stopped by the Fish Market at the end of the day, there was still a few left for someone's dinner.

First Stop: Istanbul

Senor Ping and I began the first leg of our amazing vacation early Monday morning. It was still raining and gloomy when we boarding the flight from Calgary airport bound for Toronto. We had a bit of walk from our arrival gate to our next departure gate but it was good to stretch our legs before boarding the flight to Dusseldorf. We marveled at how smoothly everything was going, we had no delays, flights were on time and we weren’t even tired (yet!!) When we arrived in Dusseldorf (at 6:05 AM local time) we walked to a different terminal, got our boarding passes and found the gate with about 15 minutes to spare. On to destination #1.

Our flight arrived in Istanbul on time and we quickly found the visa office and paid $60 US dollars each to visit this amazing city. We arrived at the exit and waited a few minutes for the shuttle to arrive from the Ilkay Hotel where we will be staying for the next six days. F&C told us that the ride to the hotel would be a ride to remember, how right they were!!!!

The Ataturk airport is about 15 km from our hotel. Our driver negotiated the busy roadways with ease, talking on his cell phone as he drove. We could see the oil tankers in the harbor and he slowed down as we went past a fish market. There were old and new apartment buildings, some looking very luxurious and others looked as though they were abandoned, but then we saw today’s laundry was hanging on the balconies. As we neared the hotel he turned off the main road and began winding his way up and down narrow streets past restaurants, Turkish baths, grocery stores, carpet shops and trinket shops selling everything imaginable.

Check in at the hotel was quick and efficient. Our room overlooks the street that the trolley runs down. We asked for a room closer to the pub with hopes that we can get WIFI in our room. They will move us tomorrow. The weather is perfect, 21C with a slight breeze. Much better than the cold and rain we left at home.

We stopped at our room for a few minutes to relax and study the maps. After grabbing the compass (a must in this city) we headed out for a walk. The streets are bustling, cars and trolleys and people everywhere. We finally decided it would be best if we followed the street that the trolley runs on, for sure we won’t get lost. We admired the items in the shop windows, until we discovered that the least little bit of “showing interest” led to a 15 minute stop while the street “hustlers” tried to convince us to check out the carpets in their stores. We drooled over the baklava and checked out the menus at a few of the restaurants and cafes. We eventually found ourselves across the street from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. Today was not a visit the “must sees” of Istanbul, our intention was to have a look around, find out where the main sites are and come back another day. We listened to the “call for prayer” and it hit home that after months of planning we have arrived in Istanbul!!!!

We stopped for a beverage on our way back to the hotel and are going to have an early night tonight. Dinner will be at the Red River Pub in our hotel. Efes beer and a kebab to top off our first day!! Tomorrow we will tie on our walking shoes, grab the camera and maps (and compass) and start to explore the city.

Shopping in London

You can buy just about anything in London.

Salisbury, Bath and Stonehenge

We took a bus tour out of London on August 10th. Good trip, quite a bit of rain and wind on this day, but perhaps, a good day to be on the bus. To the left is a picture of the beautiful Bath Cathedral. We also took in the Roman Baths, of course - why else visit Bath.. Great lunch (Shepard's Pie) acrossfrom the Cathedral. There is much much more to see in Bath. The bus tour just doesn't allow enough to see it all.

Lots of mystery surround the building of Stonehenge. It was also windy. Check out the umbrella.

And of course, the incredible 12th Century Cathedral at Salisbury. This is the one that Ken Follett used as inspiration for his "Pillars of the Earth" meganovel about the bulding of a Cathedral. Here's me being Cloistered.

We Will Rock You!!!

One highlight of our trip to London and Paris was taking in the musical We Will Rock You, based on the music of Queen. Absolutely awesome! Especially if you are a fan of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Here is a picture of Scaramouche..... can you do the Fandango?

First Day in Paris

We had an easy flight to Paris, departing from Calgary on Thursday at 1:00 PM. Allan was able to drop us off at the airport and so we didn't have the hassles with parking the car, etc and check in went smoothly. Senor Ping noticed one of our fellow passengers was checking in with an Ovation guitar and when we discovered our flight was going to be a bit late departing and that certain passenger with the previously mentioned guitar was seated across from us he had time to talk to that passenger and found they shared a love for guitars and rock and roll!!! At least I didn't have to worry about him wondering off to play pinball and not hearing the boarding call like the last time we were departing from Calgary airport!!!!

Our stop over in Toronto was short and soon we were on our way to Paris....a few movies and a cat nap later we had landed. We checked in at our hotel and then headed for the Musee du Louvre. The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris and although we strolled the grounds on our last trip we had chosen to visit the Musee d'Orsay instead. There is no possible way anyone can hope to see the entire collection of paintings, sculptures and other artifacts at the Louvre so we concentrated on a few of the things we wanted to see and then sat outside by the fountains and did some people watching. (And although I thought I was quite observant and noticed a mother and her two teenage daughters posing for photos and leaving their belongings beside us while they walked closer to the pyramid, I completely missed 2 of them changing their clothes right in front of us. They changed from dresses and mini skirts with sparkly tops to jeans and sweat pants and t-shirts without leaving the bench beside us!!!)



After we took some time to reenergize we did a walking tour of some of the covered passage ways built at the end of the 18th century, so the ladies could escape the muddy roads and enjoy a new phenomena: window shopping displays. Walking through the passages is a great way to get away from the heavy traffic and street noise, as well as check out some of the cute little sidewalk cafes and shops.



We passed by the original building of the Folies Bergere on our way to a little cafe for dinner. Many people were sitting at outdoor cafes as we headed back to the hotel to catch up on our email and some much needed sleep. As I am writing this I have the window open on our 3rd floor room and I am listening to the fountain outside and the conversations of the Parisian families who have come to sit and enjoy the beautiful August evening.

Little Valley Jamboree

In mid July we took our 5th wheel an hour down the dusty trail to the Callsen farm for the Little Valley Jamboree. This was our first time at the LVJ and so we took our trailer over on Thursday to make sure we would get a camp site. There were about 10 trailers already parked when we set up in the farm yard. We headed back on Friday evening and the yard was full of campers and people of all ages. Guests are invited to bring their lawn chairs, beverages and dancing shoes. Musicians young and old are invited to join in the music. We missed the square dancers that kicked off the weekend. A camp fire was kept burning so that you could roast wieners or marshmallows or warm up if you were chilly. When we went to bed on Friday night the band was still going strong.

Doug made his debut on the stage on Saturday afternoon. Just as he started to play the clouds opened up and down came the rain. Everyone moved their chairs under the big red and white striped tent and enjoyed the music and the 2 young dancers that stayed on the dance floor the entire time. A roast beef supper was served to all the guests (everyone brought salads and desserts). As the sun was setting the music started up again and continued on until the wee hours of the morning. We had a great time visiting, had many laughs (who could forget Bryan's domino chairs or Geri and Brett's chair dance) and the final singsong around the campfire.

Sunday morning we were treated to a pancake breakfast and gospel music. All the musicians made their way up on stage for one final time before packing up and saying their goodbyes. We had a wonderful time meeting new people, listening to great music and enjoying the company of good friends. Our hats go off to the Callsen family for hosting such a fantastic event!!! We've booked our calendar for next year!!!!




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Trail...ing Behind

I have been neglecting this blog as well as not downloading photos but the time has come!!! So to deal with the backlog of posts and photos I decided I would go back to the end of June and try to catch everyone up with what we have been keeping busy with.

Senor Ping and I visited with Megan and Gary and his mom in Trail B.C. at the end of June. It was a very scenic drive from Calgary to Trail, with a few stops to stretch our legs and take Abbey for a quick run. Our first evening we enjoyed a fantastic "all you can eat" spaghetti dinner at a family style restaurant in Trail. I am still drooling when I think of the delicious meatballs!!!

The next day we took a drive to Nelson, did a bit of shopping and stopped for lunch. it was such a treat to eat at a sidewalk cafe and not spend the whole time slapping mosquitos. After lunch we continued on to Ainsworth Hot Springs and had a refreshing swim. In the evening we visited with some of Doreen's (Gary's Mom) friends and shared in the surprise birthday celebrations they had planned for Doreen.





Senor Ping and I managed to get in a round of golf at the Trail Country Club. Our last evening we had dinner at the Rock Cut Grill near Red Mountain Ski Resort. Our vacations was short but we had a wonderful time visiting Trail!!

This is what is at the end of our driveway!

It has now been two weeks as the town keeps digging up the water system. Right in front of our house seems to be the holdup as it has been dug up 3 times now. Today they are working in the rain. Must be very unpleasant for the workers. In the meantime we are still getting water to our house via the neighbor's using 300 feet of garden hose.

And our garage is cut off from the street. Can't get the car out.

Panama Canal? Suez Canal?

It certainly appears like they are digging a canal up 5th Street East in our town. This is what our house looks like from the street!!!

New water pipes are being installed for the

residents of 5th Street.

You can see our house in the background again. Crews worked all day Sunday to dig this trench. We are without water, and have been since Saturday. Robbie, the town foreman and good friend of ours, tells us we should be reconnected to the town water supply by Thursday. In the meantime, we have strung garden hoses to the neighbour's house across the back alley.

This is what we see from our front step.

Here's to the Horses, that Pull the Budweiser!!!

We welcomed our son home to Eatonia for the weekend. He is now employed by Labatts, the distributer of Budweiser. His arrival in the Budweiser Beer Wagon caused quite a stir in our little town. Lots of people stopping by and enquiring "got any free beer" or "Do you have any Neon Beer signs to give away"? Can't wait to hear what the word on the street is.

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