Dad in Turkey - Istanbul

Hi All

Yesterday I was met by my guide, Melike. She was 28 and has been a tour guide for 7 years. We had a very nice Mercedes mini-bus and driver.

I am staying at the Conrad Hotel which is part of the Hilton chain. The hotel is on the European side of the city. Across the Bosphorus is Asia.

The first place she took me was to a waterfront area on the Bosphorus where there was a nice walking area and lots of outdoor cafes. (I am going back there today for lunch). Next we went inside a Mosque that was close by. It was done in the Borque style that influenced Turkish architure in the 1700 and 1800's.

From there we went Independence Square which is on the top of one of the many hills of Istanbul. We then got out of the car and walked down a very nice walking street for about two miles. Nice shops everywhere to include lots of American fast food places like Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. I also say 3 Starbucks along the way.

At the end of the street was a large tower called Galata Tower. We rode an elevator up 7 floors then walked up 3 more. From the observation deck you could see a lot of the city.

We then found our car and driver and went to the Grand Bazaar. It is a covered area with 4,000 little shops. You can find anything inside. Then we walked about half a mile to the Spice Bazaar which is a low end Grand Bazaar with more food items. Lots and lots of candy stalls.

At the end of the day we drove through the Istanbul equilivant of Rodeo Drive in Los Angels or 5th Ave in New York. Every fancy store known to man.

Tomorrow we leave for Ankara, the capital of Turkey and start our 14 days tour of Turkey.

More later