medusa, sultans, harems, lamps and more turkish tea...

we began out second morning in the basilica cistern...was a great stop...it is the oldest of hundreds of cisterns beneath the city of istanbul...was a cool spot on a very warm summer day...there will be more photos of our trip to the cistern coming your way in the next day or two...

after a fantastic lunch jocelyn and i set out for the topkapi palace while byron and the kids went to check out the  rahmi w. koç museum...the topkapi palace was once the residence of ruling sultans...

okay i need to make a comment about the variety in women's attire in turkey...head covering has been very common...but in istanbul the number of women wearing full covering, while not most, are common in most views in the city today...the thing that amazes me is that it is HOT and these women are wearing two layers of clothing including full head gear....

 joce sneaks a few pics....oops....say cheese?

 this woman is working as discreetly as she can to cool herself at the fountain...i have to tell you that underneath she is wearing skinny jeans and a pair of black converse tennies....

the museum has room after room of clothing, jewels and relics...a short stop on the terrace to cool off a little...

after our visit to the main exhibit we invested in the harem tour...we mark our spot in the harem courtyard...

there is tile everywhere...who is this goof?

 this is the prince's quarters...

 view from the harem counrtyard...

after a few hours we met up with byron and the kids at starbucks (cool yummy drinks and treats) and then hit the streets for a little more shopping...joce and byron have been lamp shopping...

tea time again...the shop keeper of the lamp store serves tea during the transaction...i am sitting out on the sidewalk...i love this place....

 after money was exchanged we were invited to visit the workshop where the lamps were being made...it really was very cool...

 a little more shopping in the grand bazaar (some great buys) and then a little people watching and dinner (street food) in front of the blue mosque...i love watching these people!

 

thanks to byron and abla joce for a fantastic trip...i am so grateful...truly :)

kir