Greetings from the Mediterranean!

After 25 hours of travel without any real sleep, we arrived in Istanbul (and so did all of our luggage). We got settled in and had a good dinner, but I was in "excited travel mode" and only slept about 5 hours. I went up on deck for a nice sunrise over Istanbul. We had a day full of tours, mainly of Byzantine Istanbul, led by local guides:

The basilica cistern, a huge underground reservoir, built by Justinian in 532 AD.

The Aghia Sophia, a huge church which became a mosque and is now a museum showcasing the unusual combination of both influences/beliefs/styles. Originally built around 500 AD, for almost 1,000 years it was the largest enclosed space in the world.

The mosque of Sultan Ahmet - the famous "Blue Mosque" with its 6 minarets, built between 1606 and 1617. In front of the mosque is a granite Egyptian obelisk, dating back to 1471 BC.

The ancient ruins of the sea and land walls surrounding the old city, built in 413 AD.

The smaller, Kariye Mosque (Chora), built around 500 AD, but also later converted to a mosque and now a museum.

The Hagios Georgios Greek Orthodox church, with beautiful iconography.


Today we spent the day at sea. Breakfast on the back deck of the ship, in the Dardanelles, between the locations of the Gallipoli Battle and the hill of Troy. Through the day we had 6 lectures on various aspects of the histories of the regions from several experts. And lots of delicious food, interesting people, and wonderful weather. The days have been packed - and this is only the start! More to come...