Istanbul

Of all the surprises of this trip, Istanbul was maybe the most surprising of them all. Ephesus is in modern day Turkey. It is located near the port city of Izmir, and is nice, but upon entering the Bosporus Strait and docking in Istanbul, I was amazed, First at the activity of the water way and the way the city rises up from the coast. Istanbul, the city built by the Emperor Constantine (thus its first name, Constantinople) to the rise of the Byzantine Empire (its second name Byzantium) and then the rule of Islam and the Sultans (and its modern name, Istanbul) in the Ottoman Empire. Today, Istanbul is the second most important city in Turkey after the capital Ankara, built by the founder of the secular state of Turkey, Ataturk. The city is vast and modern. I do not have all my pictures yet, as Costco missed a CD and I need to get it burnt tomorrow. But what you will see today is the Blue Mosque and a quick glance at the port and one shot of Haggai Sophia. Enjoy these and I hope to have more for you tomorrow. Also Cathy has uploaded her pictures to photobucket too and I will be snagging a few of her pics soon in my recap of the vacation. We really do take different pictures of the same event.
WELCOME TO TURKEY! They are a proud people who fly their flag a lot about the city.

This is the port from the ship. Notice the amount of movement.

The entrance to the Blue Mosque.

The Blue Mosque as seen from Haggai Sophia. I did not crop much of this picture.

One of the five minarets that surround the Blue Mosque.

Inside the Blue Mosque.


And lastly, Haggai Sophia as seen from the exit of the Blue Mosque.