Thursday, July 28, 2011

Day 17 - Faliraki to Heraklion

Day 17- Faliraki beach to Heraklion

Finally we were outta here, unless you're 20, wanting syphilis, or a divorce, stay away from Faliraki Beach. We had some good experiences there, The Castellan Restaurant, the beach itself (Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn was filmed there!...Classic!) but we were glad to leave it behind.  Starting at 7am we darted out of the White Palace Studios, boarded a bus and made it back into Rhodes town. We had a decent breakfast and boarded yet another bus to the airport. One thing I will say, the Greek bus system is cheap and very effective! We hit our enjoyable fights to Athens then on to Heraklion. We exited the airport and were directed by locals, which bus to take into town. This place was very chill! The streets were quiet, locals coming to and fro and no drunk Brits! 

We found our hotel quite easily and checked in. The Hotel Kronos is just off the main strip, close to ferries and the bus station and a very quaint little place. The staff were uber friendly, it was ideally located, clean and secure. We cleaned the 8 hours of busses, airports and airplanes off our bodies and headed out to dinner. 

This is the Greece we were looking for! We found a mom and pop restaurant with a huge square shared by 2 other restaurants. We shared some Greek tapas: greek salad, aubergine salad, snails, calamari, stuffed zucchini, pickled beets, bread and house white wine. We chased it with complimentary desert and Raki! The locals packed the square, musicians entered and the aromas of bread and garlic filled our nostrils. It was picturesque. Most come for crazy dancing and staying out all night, but this is what we were in search of! Everyone told us to avoid Crete, but I guess  they never looked for what we found. Seaside eateries, serving fresh authentic cuisine, filled with charm and charisma. You can have Rhodes, I've only been on Crete for 6 hours and I'm in love...

Day 16 - Faliraki Beach Rhodes

Day 16 - Faliraki Beach Rhodes

After our hellish day of travel from Fethiye to Faliraki, we decided to take it easy. We had a beach day! We staked out our claim at the quiet end of Faliraki, and soaked up the sun. Having acclimatized to the heat of Turkey, the 35 degrees of Rhodes was a nice change. We played in the cool, shallow waters and people watched from our loungers. This was a drastic change from the fully covered, muslim women who, it seemed, swam in vinyl track suits. Topless sunbathing was everywhere, you couldn't turn your head without seeing a young, attractive woman shedding their top.There were some playing paddleball in the water, joining water sports and just strolling.  Even Krista joined in the fervor.  The ones that went topless, received better service from beach and bar staff. 

After 3 hours in the sun with nary a burn, it was Heiny time! We found an inexpensive watering hole and sucked back a few bevies  down the beach, closer to town. We returned to the hotel room, where we were told earlier that they had to switch our rooms (still choked about that) and our bags would be transferred. When we arrived to the front desk, there stood our bags! This place had the worst customer service we've experienced on our vacay so far. What do you expect from a cheap Pansiyon? We grumbled a bit, headed to our rooms and proceeded to have a disco nap. When we awoke, we showered and headed out looking for the fabled Desert Rose restaurant. Naturally, the place that was "easy to find" eluded us and we sought out another establishment. We decided on Porto Bello, had calamari, garlic mushrooms, lamb and fillet mingnon. It was delish!

After our late dinner we walked the gauntlet of the Faliraki Beach nightclub scene, it was PUMPIN! A mini Cancun, (the locals call it Little Britain) we powered through and made it back to our room by midnight. I kinda wished we avoided Rhodes, too busy and full of drunk teens, I'm glad we had it as a stop over. Don't get me wrong, what we saw of it was beautiful, it's just that after our laid back week in Calis beach, we didn't want anything to do with a part scene. We had a long day ahead of us the next day starting a 6am, so we conked out! Tomorrow: Heraklion!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Day 15 - Fethiye to Rhodes

Day 15 - Last day in Calis Beach/off to Rhodes. 

This was our last day in Turkey, all we had to do was finish some laundry and make our 4:30 ferry to Rhodes. We stayed up late last night watching Breaking Bad after all the action outside died down and slept in til 10. We woke, had coffee (Krista had tea) and ate a "traditional English breakfast" of beans on toast. We sat on our balcony and took in our last day in Turkey! Calis beach is a beautiful place to have stayed and I was a little sad to leave it behind, BUT Greece was ahead! Having little faith in others, I had to make sure that our transfer was going to come to our apartment. We walked down to Karakay Turizm and spoke to Serkec, the guy who booked our trip to Rhodes. He assured us the transfer would pick us up and get us to the boat on time. 

We went back to the apartment, nibbled on some lunch, then decided to nap. We woke, cleaned the house up a bit and checked out. We walked down to the corner where we were told that our transfer would pick us up between 3:30-3:40. We waited and waited until 4pm. Our boat was to leave at 4:30 and it still would take us 15 min to get there!! We had to make the boat! Stupid transfer!! I quickly flagged down a Taksi (Turkish) and we made our boat. We would've lost our hotel in Rhodes, had to make the next ferry in the morning at 9am,  needed to book another hotel last minute in Fethiye and a new one in Rhodes. Boooo Karakay Turizm! I sent them a nasty email demanding them to at least cover our Taksi. On top of it all, the ferry WAS supposed to be a fast track hydrofoil, but when we got there, it was just a regular ferry. Instead of an exhilarating  90 minute ride of epic-ness, it  was a slow nauseating 3 hour crawl. Un stoked! Roll with the punches...

Well we putted into Rhodes and arrived at the ferry port. We went through the port where it is said that the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, it was made out of bronze and greeted all who travelled to Rhodes. In 500AD it collapsed due to an earthquake and fell into pieces where it lay, it was ignored for another 4 centuries. Story has it that a Jewish merchant bought it and had to use several caravans to take it away. It was then melted down and used for coin currency. 

We got off the terminal, went through customs and were officially in Greece! When we went to find a taxi to Faliraki beach, we were told that a nationwide taxi strike had occurred a few days ago. Oh mios duo, It just keeps piling on!

Walking through the old town of Rhodes, we went in search of a bus station. We asked many people along the way, but all was not lost, I got to practice my Greek! We finally found the bus station, it was filled with locals and tourists. We were herded onto to busses, and made the journey to Faliraki Beach. What a hopping joint! Half naked people everywhere! We checked in to our modest Pansiyon and found a delightful dinner where I sucked down a few Heinekens and we shared a Greek plate. A peaceful end to an otherwise, turbulent day

Monday, July 25, 2011

Days 12/13/14 - Calis Beach Fethiye

Days 12/13/14 - Calis Beach Fethiye

The past few days have been the most relaxing I can remember. It harkens back to the summer holidays I had in early high school, before the dreaded summer job. We stay up late, sleep in late and are in and out of the sun. The other day the temperature soared to a boiling 45 Degrees Celsius! That day was spent in and out of the Sea and pool, we had to mix it up. When that salt dries on your skin...

Yesterday, we went on a boat trip from Olu Deniz Beach (6th ranked beach in the world), where they took us to Butterfly Valley, Camel Beach, Cold Water Springs, St. Nicholas Island and the Aqua Marine Park. The boat was packed with locals, and every stop involved swimming and sightseeing. We grabbed a few loungers in the shade and set up shop. We dozed to the lull of the waves only to wake up in time to leap off the boat into the Turquoise waters. We were served an underwhelming lunch consisting of Kofte, salad and noodles. We shared a table with a charming Turkish family who spoke broken English and the little daughter wanted her picture taken with me. It was cute. For the remainder of the day, she followed me around and smiled when eye contact was made. Though the boat tour was pleasant, reaching places available only to water crafts, we  felt that it was too long. We started at 9am and made it back to the apartment by 7pm. I pounded a few Efes and we ended our day with a deep slumber. Life is rough!!

Today is our last real day in Calis Beach as we leave tomorrow at 3:30pm for Rhodes.  It's just a chill day, drinking on our deck and shopping to rid ourselves of the last few Lira in our pockets, are the only things on the agenda.  Tomorrow we are bound for the Greek island of Rhodes leaving behind the Turkish Coast.  Oh Turkey...

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Day 11 - Calis Beach Fethiye Hamam day!!

Day 11 - Calis Beach Fethiye 

Filled with sun and lazy days, Calis Beach is paradise! Today we decided to sleep in after staying up late last night watching the Belly Dancers next door. Best seat in the house AND we didn't have to pay for it! Not that we're cheap, it's just when you've seen one hotel show, you've seen em all (Mexico's late night all inclusive "entertainment"...blech!). 

After a home cooked Turkish/Krista brunch, we sauntered over to a Hamam (Turkish bath) and were pampered and contorted beyond belief. Not knowing what to expect, we entered the Hamam, got changed and were directed to lay in a Eucalyptus sauna. We breathed in the aroma, and sweated out the toxins, Efes and wine. A half an hour went by, in came our Turk, he directed us to lay  on a marble round table. Krista was the guinea pig, She was thoroughly scrubbed head to toe with water and and exfoliating pad. With the deep deep groans emanating from her, I knew she was loving it, and to make sure I didn't fell left out, Vadal kept throwing warm water on me! He even threw a cold bowl of water down my pants, a relief from the 30 minute sauna I assure you, but a shock nevertheless. After her scrub down came the bubbles.  He soaped her up, flipped her this way and that and massaged her in all the right places. I closed my eyes, relaxed and let Krista get adjusted, nothing risqué, just a good old fashioned Turkish rub down. 

After Vadal was finished with  Krista she was led away to a room where she enjoyed a nice apple tea. Now came my turn! He exfoliated me, soaped me up, scrubbed the calluses off my feet and gave me a Turkish massage, it was invigorating. The best part was yet to come, he contorted my body parts and adjusted my legs, back , arms and head. He cracked knuckles, picked me up, cracked my back, and he even stretched out my arms but locking his arms with mine, back to back. He sat on my back, gave me the camel clutch and at times, it felt like assisted yoga! When we were done, I'd never felt more limber and relaxed. He led me to the same room where I joined Krista for some apple tea, he applied a mask to Krista and proceeded to entertain us with a wee bit of a magic show. All with a sense of humour of course, he made kerchiefs, water and salt disappear, and threw them at us when he brought them back. After the show, he gave us his card: masseur and illusionist! Only in Turkey!!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Days 9/10 - Calis Beach Fethiye

Days 9/10 - Calis Beach Fethiye

The days in our vacation rental, we sleep in to whatever time we want to, get up, go for a swim right out of our front door and stroll down to the corner market. These are the lazy days of our vacation! We have done absolutely nothing besides eat, sleep, drink and eat some more. We have a full kitchen so we've decided to make some Turkish Krista/Dennon fusion food. Our apartment is lovely, it's brand new, has no TV but we have a view people pay to see. We are right at the end of Calis beach, it reminds me of a bigger, better and busier version of a resort on the Okanagan. It's been 40 degrees plus everyday, but we're able to cool ourselves in the sea that's about 40 steps outside our front door. We sit on our balcony, watch the sunset and the passersby. Krista's polished off 2 books and I've finally had the chance to read some Kurt Vonnegut.  It doesn't get any better than this! Today we ventured a little farther south and purchased our tickets to Rhodes and our boat tour. Tonight I'm gonna smoke a fat cigar and drink some beer. Stay tuned..

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Day 8 - Pamukkale/Hieropolis drive to Fethiye

Day 8 - Pamukkale & Hieropolis

Waking up early is getting harder to do every morning, but today we're taking a tour to the white cliffs of Pamukkale (cotton castle), Hieropolis (holy city) and transferring to Fethiye. Our mini bus picked us up promptly in front of our hotel, we bade farewell to Erdal and our new Virginian friends and started on our long journey. 3 hours to the site, 3 hours around the site and 4 hours to Fethiye. Whew!!

Along the way we picked up a few more people and drove to the National Unesco Park of Pamukkale, but before we commenced the tour, we stopped for lunch. They took us to a roadside restaurant swarming with half naked European tourists (the first time in Turkey we saw any exposed people), and ate a suspect meal. I knew I'd pay for it later. We started our tour at a silver shop, where locals tried to sell us overpriced silver, turquoise and amber. It reminded me of Mexico. Of course, no one bought anything so we left and continued up the mountain to  he Ancient City of Hieropolis.  It's said that Hades himself heated the thermal waters below so the people above could heal themselves in the pools. Hieropolis was amazing and was built much like other Roman/Byzantine cities: Agora, latrines, theatre, bath houses, etc. But this place was, of course, different! They used a very complicated drainage system which carried the important thermal waters to and from the pools. Ancient canals snaked throughout the complex ending up at various locations hither and tither. 

One location was the Cleopatra  pool. Worried about her fading beauty, she sought out this already famous location and visited it in her later years. Apparently it worked and news of this drove many more people to visit the city. In the pools are original columns from the ancient city that you can swim with, but with hordes of people already crammed in there creating a disgusting people soup, we resisted the urge and turned our attention to the white cliffs of Pamukkale. 

Located on the west side of the Holy City, Pammukale is where the thermal waters pool and fall over the cliffs. The minerals form a white cotton candy stone surface which can be seen for thousands of metres. There in the pools, you can wade and submerge yourself and it is said that the thermal waters will cure all that ails. We spent 3 hours on the site, exploring and wading but were ready to get to our next destination...Calis Beach in Fethiye!!

Our drivers dropped everyone off back in town and continued rolling through the hills until we made it to Fethiye. They struggled with their GPS, swearing in Turkish and finally found our beachfront Apartment in Calis beach (Chalish). The manager Julien, met us at the front and showed us our place. Julien is a nice British gent who lives in the building, he gave us directions and pointers on the various need to know locations (grocery and booze stores!!). He also provided us with a welcome package that included cookies, tea, coffee, crisps (British slang for potato chips), bread, eggs, fruits, veggies, juices, pop and water. We walked to the store down the road, bought some booze, sat on our beachfront balcony and watched the world go by. 

Days 6 & 7 - Selcuk

Day 6 - Selcuk

We woke up in Izmir at our pensiyon, and because we already purchased our train tickets, we had a little more time for breakfast. We packed our belongings and trickled downstairs and to our surprise, found a complimentary fresh breakfast at our disposal!! We ate our fresh breaky and bounced to the train station, I still couldn't believe that we only had to pay 11 Turkish Lira!! 

The train ride was pleasant and very chill, we passed through Izmir and into the countryside. Orchards, fields of corn and vegetables on either side reminded us of back home. 

We arrived in Selcuk (pronounced Sell-chook) and walked up a slight incline to Hotel Bella. We've been looking forward to this hotel and were not disappointed, greeted by smiling faces and lokum, (Turkish delight) we checked in.  After we settled into our room, we went upstairs to the beautiful rooftop patio and were met by Erdal, the owner. He proceeded to tell us of the town, it's people their history and offered us a ride to Ephesus, the reason why we came to Selcuk. It's the best preserved Hellenistic/Roman/Byzantine city. We graciously accepted. We spent 3.5 hours wandering the site, with the Celsus library and the terrace houses as the stand alone favorites. Ephesus has been rebuilt 5 times, so it houses a plethora of history throughout many an Empire. 

With a quick phone call from the bookstore, Erdal picked us up and brought us back to our room. It was time for a power nap!

We slept with the sounds of nesting storks outside of our window, and when we woke, we ran upstairs, snaked a table and drank some Efes beer and wine. Now came dinner! The Turks really know how to prepare their meats, being a butcher by trade, this was something I can really appreciate. Meat stuffed mushrooms, eggplant, Russian salads, and bean salads danced onto our table until the coup de grace: the main dish! I had the grilled lamb and Krista had the spicy kebab.  Both truculent, but mine, I have to say, was the better of the two. The best lamb I've ever tasted, we chased it down with a sugar soaked cake desert and a strong glass of Raki. Raki is the Turkish version of Ouzo or Sambuca with a twist, it doesn't get you drunk but rather stimulates you much like an Absinthe. Wow! 

Day 7 - Selcuk

The night before, at approx 10pm, Erdal informed us that the PMD Tour was available, so we immediately signed up. Priene-Miletus-Didyma are some lesser known sights but are worth the excursion out of Selcuk town. After seeing most of the important artifacts already excavated and on display at the Archeological Museum in Istanbul, it was time to see the sources! 

We boarded the mini van, among the other tourists, sat back and listened to our guide. A retired seventy something former archeologist, he delved into the history of the region, posed questions and made quirky jokes. The first stop was Priene! He jumped out of the van and expertly traversed his way 400 metres up the side of the mountain. With the ten of us in tow, he put most to shame and waited at the top. He told us the site was only 2% excavated and it used to be a port city the rich owned. It had a theatre, an agora, a temple. It was built up by the Byzantines until the days when the waters subsided and silt took over the land below.  

Next stop was Miletus and it was amazing! Among the ruins, were remnants of the bath houses, we everything could be bought...for a price. It also had a huge Amphitheatre the held over 15,000 people! We explored inside and out, found winding corridors and even a castle that was added onto the top. 

The final portion of the tour was the biggest temple of Apollo in recorded history at the site of Didyma. Still partially standing, this is a site where priests lived in and asked the advice of the oracle. The story goes, that the oracle, always a woman, lived in a room and continuously breathed in a gas that made her see the visions. These were the visions of Apollo. The site was unbelievable!

After a modest lunch, we drove back to the hotel and had a power nap, again! Being out in the middle of nowhere in 40 degree weather for hours at a time, can really knock the crap out of you!

We woke up, cleaned ourselves and sauntered into town looking for a genuine Turkish meal. I don't know how these restaurants stay open! Sometimes it seems as though there is more places to eat, than people to eat at them. We got asked to sit at a bakers dozen different places in 9 different ways. They say things like "Yes please" - "You look Hungry!" - "Best meatballs in town" and when you refuse... Watch out!! One guy called me gay with a Turkish gesture of the OK sign (don't use this sign in Turkey unless you wanna fight). We chose The Ejder Restaurant, under the shadow of the Roman Aquaduct, placed our order and waited for the meat and Efes parade to begin. Hours later, after eating like amSultan, we lumbered back to the hotel and fell asleep.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Day 5 - Izmir

Our original plan was to take the IDO ferry from Yenikapi terminal to Bandirma, where it connects to an express train to Izmir. All in all, it was supposed to take a total of 9 hours. We would have cruised the Marmara Sea and saw a lot of the Turkish countryside, but alas, the travel agent we spoke to was a douche. He told us the we would be able to just walk on to the ferry with no problems...when we checked the day of departure, it was full. My mistake for taking the word of someone else. Lesson learned. Instead, we purchased 2 tickets to Izmir courtesy of Turkish Airlines. What a great flight! A quick trip, a fresh healthy in flight meal and enough room to stretch my 6'3" frame. Air Canada has nothing on Turkish Air.

We arrived at Adnan Menderes Airport and were whisked away in a Taksi (Turkish) to our Pensiyon called the Vatan Otel. When we pulled up to the first Vatan Otel, my pulse drastically increased!! Thank the travel gods, it was the wrong one! A few blocks down the road our driver decried that this was the proper hostel. There we were met by a parrot named Vatan and his owner, who looked similarly like his 30 year old feathered friend, right down to the hair!!

We checked in and traipsed upstairs. Our room was clean and comfortable, but definitely not
the 4 Seasons, who wants that pampering anyways?! After cleaning up we decided to check out the vast building, complete with 2 restaurants, a computer room and a lovely garden terrace located in the back away from the scorching 35 degree sun. We enjoyed some complimentary refreshments and reflected on our stay in Istanbul.

Izmir, though beautiful, was a place we expected to pass through, but we decided to seek out Efes at a local eatery. After meandering down a beautiful back street surrounded by merchants, fresh fruit vendors and Ivy covered corner shops, we popped out beside Basmane Gir (station). I remembered that the reason I picked the pensiyon was it's proximity to the train station. Having learned my lesson, we ducked inside and purchased 2 tickets to Selcuk, our next destination, for a mere 11 Turkish lira ($6)!! We were set for the next day, so we decided to celebrate with some mezes at the pensiyon's annexed eatery. After struggling with our poor Turkish, they understood what we wanted and smiles immediately flashed across their faces.Triumphantly they paraded dish after dish of Turkish salads and Russian breads to our table, followed by Efes after Efes (the best Turkish beer!). We thanked them in Turkish and told them how full we were and how delicious it was, the cook even came out to receive his accolades!! We paid the bill and promptly retired to our room, bellies full and the sounds of the late night festivities filtering through our window. Ahhhh the Turks...

Friday, July 15, 2011

Istanbul Day 4

We woke up, just like every morning, to the sound of the call to prayer. Who needs an alarm clock!! After showering and tidying up our vacation rental apartment we started out in search of an inexpensive breakfast. Not cheap, Istanbul can be tough to find a reasonably priced restaurant, especially in the tourist trap of the Sultanahmet district where we decided to vacay. Once out of our apartment, we crossed through the Hippodrome and found a quaint cafe called the Sunrise Cafe, there we gorged ourselves on Turkish coffee, (a must try!) tea, fresh fruits, veggies and baked pastries. Nothing beats a Turkish pastry slathered in honey! After we paid our server and thanked him in Turkish, we went out in search of the Archeological Museum located beside Topkapi Palace it houses over one million items on display. Everything from early Mesopotamia to the most recent Ottoman empire, some stuff was almost 4000 years old! The highlight for me was the Sarcophogus of Alexander the great. After spending 4 hours looking at countless antiquities, it was time to be a real tourist and do the city sightseeing bus tour. 20 Euros allows you to board a double decker bus and join a hop on, hop off tour which takes you to all the important sights of Istanbul. Running approximately an hour and a half (2 with traffic) we covered a lot of ground on the European side and Asian side and attempted to hop off to see Dolombache Palace. However, we were greeted by an overwhelming lineup and after waiting 30 minutes with not a step forward, we decided to abandon in search of lunch beside the Bosphorous. After a coffee and some kebaps we continued our bus tour and hopped back on. We finished our tour and went back to the Hippodrome to people watch. After people watching, we built up a taste for alcohol and went in search of some Efes beer and house wine. We spent an hour looking for the perfect place and stumbled upon it! A non descript place called the Kebapci Kardelsler, owned by the most charming gentleman who brought out meat plates, fruits, teas, beers, wine, desserts and even offered us Turksh cigarettes! We spent 2 hours filling our bellies with Turkish staples, and unfortunately, we were the only ones at his restaurant. With tonnes of competition surrounding him we convinced a group of Belgians that this place was not to be missed. After our apple tea, we thanked the man profusely and rolled ourselves home. A great end to an almost perfect day, and our last day...tomorrow we travel to Izmir.

Istanbul...the first three days!

Day 1:  We arrived at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul at 3:20pm. Upon our arrival we were met by our driver Deniz, and made our way to Ekim Apartments. We were greeted by Saban the owner and then made our way out into the city. Our apartments are located within walking distance of everything on our agenda. First we walked through the Hippodrome and saw the Egyptian Obelisk and the Constantine Obelisk as well as the Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain. We then walked to the Bosphorous and made our way to the Galata Bridge where we dined on a fish platter, drank Efes beer and enjoyed our view of the Bosphorous strait, the Golden Horn and Galata tower. We dined in between continents! It was amazing!

Day 2: We woke up early only to find that this city (besides the call to prayer heard throughout the Sultanahmet district) doesn't start to function until 9am. We had Turkish Coffee and tea on a lovely cobbled back street and watched the tourists flow in. Next stop: the Hagia Sofia, AKA Ayasofya, AKA Saint Sophia. It blew our minds, we wandered up to the top section where we saw the beautiful mosaics of the Emperor Justinian (who commissioned the building)   The Virgin Mary, The Emperor Constantine, Jesus Christ and the Deisis Mosaics, Christ and the Empress Zoe and the Emperor Comnenos, Jesus Christ and the Empress Irene. The Ayasofia was built as a Byzantine church and when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, they converted it into a mosque but did not destroy the beauty within. I doubt the Christians would of done the same, stupid Christians. We marveled at the domes, columns, buttresses and the beautiful architecture for about an hour and we saw countless jaw dropping sites: tombs, marble pots and even where a Viking carved his name in the 9th century. We walked out of the Ayasofya, crossed the street and checked out the Blue Mosque. It was built to mirror the Ayasofya and although beautiful, it pales in comparison to the Ayasofya. Shimmering blue mosaics throughout, gives it it's name and you have to take off your shoes and cover up before they let you in because it is still a place of worship.  After, we went to Topkapi Palace and spent an afternoon wandering the many rooms of it's Harem and the palace itself. We saw such items as the Topkapi dagger, encrusted with emeralds the sized of golf balls and an 86 karat white diamond among others. We weren't allowed to take pictures and I thought I might spend a day or year in jail after I was berrated for trying to do so. We ate some street food and went back to the apartment and crashed out about 9pm. 

Day 3: Went took our time waking up and went out for breakfast to a quaint little cafe called the Green Cafe where we drank Turkish coffee and Tea and enjoyed a light breakfast consisting of cheese, olives, eggs and fresh veggies. We hopped across the street and went into the Basilica or Yerebatan Cistern. In the early centuries of Constantinople, this was the underground water reservoir for the city's inhabitants and drew it's water from the the forests 25 km away via the Valens Aqua-duct. As we descended into it's depths, we were surprised how dark and cool it was, hundreds of marble columns supported the ceiling and water still remains, now the home to thousands of fat fresh water fish. We walked down to the end where the heads of Medusa supported 2 of the columns. Certain scenes of James Bond's "To Russia with love" were filmed.     
As we stepped out into the pale sunlight, we walked to the Grand Bazaar, the oldest market in the world!! Flush with merchants saying "let me sell you something that you don't need" we purchased a few items and Krista bartered for her silk/cashmere scarf. After strolling around the covered Bazaar we attempted to find the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, and failed miserably!! But the best way to get to know a city is to get lost in it! Fortunately for us we stumbled across the University, the Sulemaniye Mosque, the Beyzit Tower and a few other sights that we don't even know the name of. We met a friend who took us to his leather shop and then we scuttled away and had an Efes beer not far away. Next we walked up the beside the Bosphorous, to the Galata Bridge and found the Spice Bazaar!!! We entered and were bombarded by the sights, smells and the sounds. We purchased some spices of course, a spice grinder and some Turkish Delight!! Mmmmmmm. Now it was time for dinner at the world famous Hamdi Restaurant!! It was the most beautiful setting for dinner...EVER!! Surrounded by the The Bosphorous, Mosques, towers, bridges of Europe and Asia, we gorged ourselves on expertly grilled meats, Efes beer and house wine. After our most excellent meal, we walked across the  Galata Bridge and into the fish markets of the Asian side in the Golden Horn. Now it was finally time for our Bosphorous Cruise!! We boarded a ferry and chugged up and down the Bosphorous Strait taking in the sights and sounds of both continents with the highlight being the big ass castle on the Asian side. Rumor has it that back in the Constantinople days they hung a huge chain from one side to the other to discourage entrance of opposing armies. What a great day!!

Day 4 is today and the plan is to take it easy but also take in he Archeological Museum and Dolombache Palace, but I'm sure we'll stumble across a myriad of other awe inspiring visuals!!