One of the most wonderful parts of traveling is the brief interactions you have with local citizens. To see things through their eyes, to understand the pride they have in their country, their beliefs, their way of life.

We had a private guide in Istanbul… Gem. He was an excellent guide who felt like a good friend by the end of the day. He was passionate about his Muslim faith, proud of his Turkish heritage, and quick with the jokes! He will hold a place in our hearts.

AND, he was a VERY.FAST.WALKER! Initially, I was s little nervous that I could keep pace and keep him in view. Istanbul is a large vibrant city, then add 3 large cruise ships and there were crowds and tour groups everywhere. But, we had a wonderfully full day!

Our first stop was at the Basillica Cistern, built around 530 AD to serve the great palace. It was huge! The site of a scene from the James Bond movie “From Russia with Love.” It was majestic! The columns (repurposed from Roman ruins destroyed in an earlier earthquake) make it feel like a cathedral, the changing lights. It was a favorite!

From there we went to the Blue Mosque. It is very large, very busy, and very beautiful. So many people “spectating” among devout worshippers. The tile work was amazing. Exquisite chandeliers and NO COBWEBS! Among the glass lights there are ostrich eggs with the raw egg still inside. They last more than 100 years and keep away the spiders?! Who knew?! But worth a try. No more dusting ceilings and corners!!

No visit to Istanbul is complete without a trip to the Grand Bizarre! The people! The gold! The spices!! Fortunately we stopped for coffee. The coffee shop was also featured in From Russia with Love but is owned by a friend of Gem’s and the cookies they serve are made by his wife’s cousin so we had to stop! (Besides, it was a good chance to finally stop and sit!!) Gem said the best baklava comes from Turkey. I can’t verify that claim. I can tell you the cookies and the baklava were some of the best I have tasted. Oh, and you don’t put sugar in your coffee when you eat it with a sweet. The bite of sweet sweetens the coffee!

Our last stop was at Hagia Sophia. It is huge! Built as the supreme church for Orthodox Christians in 530 AD, it became a mosque when the Ottomans conquered the city. Then after WWI, it became a secular museum befitting the modern Republic of Turkey. In 2020 it was once again converted into a mosque. So much history!! Amazing architecture. We didn’t have enough time to really see as much as we would have liked but I’m so glad we got to experience it.

We said “good bye” to our friend Gem, but not to Istanbul. Our last adventure in the city was a fish dinner on the Bosporus River. We had wine and beer and a boney fish (turbot) that I had never heard of or seen before. We soaked in the lights of the city and the many many boats and ferries that passed by. We were on the bottom level of the Galata Bridge and the fishermen with their long lines hung down from the top past us and caught multiple small fish (like mullet and sardines) on a single line with a fishing pole with a light on it. We had a long memorable dinner. Expensive! But such an amazing experience!