Saturday, April 10, 2010
We had a wonderful time walking around the Grand Bazaar yesterday afternoon with friends Bob and Glo. There are over 4,500 stores in the Bazaar so we only got to a portion of them (thank goodness) although we walked quite a bit of the Bazaar. Since it was a Friday afternoon it was fairly busy and wherever we went we seemed to run into a familiar face from the ship. We only made one small purchase.
Istanbul is a beautiful city and we have enjoyed each of our visits here. We enjoy the people and find the city to be very vibrant. The harbor is quite beautiful and has a good deal of activity.
Approximately 90% of the population is Muslim but in general the dress is very western.
The population of Istanbul consists of approximately 14 Million people. From the South of Istanbul it stretches to the Marmara Sea and to its north, the Black Sea. What makes this city quite unique is that the western part is situated in Europe and the eastern part is situated in Asia. The major waterline that divides Istanbul into two is the Bosporus. We are docked on the European part of Istanbul.
There are many unique sites to visit here. This includes the Underground Cistern, which is also known as the Sunken Palace or the Yerebatan Sarayi. There is the Grand Bazaar, which has approximately 4,500 stores. There is the Galata Tower, which offers panoramic views of the city, and the Dolinabahce Palace, which was built by the Ottoman in the mid-19th Century. Additional famous sites include the Hughia Sophia which is also known as the Church of Divine Wisdom, the Blue Mosque which was built during the reign of Sultan Almet in the early 17th Century and the Topkapi Palace which was originally built as a summer residence and seat of government.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Silk Road with friends John and Linda. As we always do we enjoyed Sushi, Sashimi (Keith), a wonderful entrée and fruit for dessert. The service was outstanding as it always is along with the ambience of the restaurant. We also had a wonderful conversation with John and Linda. They are always such fun to talk with and it’s been a pleasure sailing with them on this adventure. We first met in January of 2007. Like us, they also boarded the ship in Miami, taking the seven-day sailing prior to the start of the World Cruise.
After dinner we went to the show, which featured a Vocal Quartet comprised of four male vocalists. They were outstanding and the show was very well attended. The show had a start time of 7:45 PM recognizing that a significant number of guests had early tours booked for the following morning. They performed a wide range of songs and each one was song wonderfully. This was their first time performing on Crystal Cruises and we hope that they will be back performing on future cruises with Crystal.
As we were leaving the show we spoke with Lido Deck Stewards Ross and Nat. They will be leaving the ship tomorrow to fly home for a well-deserved vacation. We saw Nat again later today as we were walking over to the Spice Market and we wished him a safe flight and a nice time at home. He is looking forward to being with his children.
In general, Keith sleeps very well while on the ship with the nice gentle motion of the ship putting him to sleep. This was not the case last night since we were docked at the port and possibly due to that Keith woke up in the middle of the night and could not sleep. So, he began his workout a little before 3:00 AM (yes that is AM not PM) this morning and considering the time of the night he worked out longer than usual. The good news is that the Fitness Center is open 24 hours a day. After his workout, he did some laundry and then when coffee was available he stopped by the Lido Café to bring back coffee to the room.
Anne Marie took the morning off and didn’t workout.
We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room and afterwards we got ready to go into Istanbul. Since we have been here several times we did not take a tour since we have toured this city multiple times. Instead, we took the shuttle back over to the Grand Bazaar.
We spent a couple of hours walking around the Grand Bazaar and we made a couple of small purchases. For the first time shopper one has to get used to the art of bargaining but having done this many times on past visits we know how this all works.
We took the 12:00 shuttle back to the ship. There was a lot of traffic out and about so this four-mile drive took close to thirty minutes. After all, this is part of life in Istanbul. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Café.
In the afternoon we took a nice long walk from the cruise ship terminal over to the Spice Market. For those of you familiar with the pier we walked for a little while and then we walked across the bridge and then we walked to a lower level and crossed over to where the Spice Market is located. This was our first visit to the Spice Market. We can’t describe the number of people in the market and the surrounding area and the vast majority of them are locals. Essentially, it was wall-to-wall people. Inside the market there are many shops selling a wide range of spices while others sell other items such as tea. There are also other stores similar to what one finds at the Grand Bazaar selling a variety of other items. We then ventured outside the market and there were stores upon store selling other items including cheeses, meats, seafood, and more stores selling spices. There were also stores upon stores selling various houseware type items. It was amazing. Afterwards, we walked back to the ship and past a variety of other stores and cafes. The weather was absolutely delightful. There were lots of pedestrians on both sides of the bridge along with so many men fishing.
During our walk we ran into several members of the Crystal Cruises Crew along with a few of our fellow passengers.
Once on board the ship we read, wrote and took care of a few other items.
This evening is open seating in the Main Dining Room. In addition, there is a special buffet on the Lido Deck. Believe it or not we are going back to Silk Road and will be joined by an officer. We are dining a little later than our normal dining time as we have an 8:30 PM reservation.
We expect that Keith will sleep very well tonight. J
TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY…..It is out attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”
Keith and Anne Marie
No comments:
Post a Comment