I had a really wonderful guide today. He was informative, spoke perfect English and did not test us after every fact as the Egyptian guide did continuously. I was picked up by a bus and we were taken to a central meeting place and placed on different group tours depending on language. I was in an English speaking group comprised of two Koreans, one Malaysian, one Pakastani living in Houston and a Tawanese who lives in Australia.
I was the only woman until after lunch when the cast of characters changed slightly depending on what tour you were with. I think it was better than a private tour because there were other people to talk to and lunch company, too. I hung out with the Australian who is also going around the world. Although he has an Anglo partner in Melbourne that he has lived with for 15 years, he is alone on this trip.
We went to the Blue Mosque, the city cistern from the Roman days where they stored water, and after lunch another Mosque and Topkapi Palace. The interesting thing about the cistern is that there are fish there which were used in olden days to test the water to make sure there were no poisons put in the water supply. It was kind of spooky because it was dark and wet with orange lights.
In 1998 they found under mud and water two heads of Medusa holding up the columns. One is upside down and the other on her side. No one knows why.
Istanbul is a city where it seems things work. The European part of Turkey is only 4% of the country. I am not sure how the other 96% of the country functions in Asia but it is pretty nice here.
Not so easy being a tourist!
1 comment:
the cisterns columns were recycled from Byzantium bldgs.
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