28 April - Istanbul (Turkey)

It rained heavily in the morning so I waited till midday to move to the Subrosa Hotel where I was to meet the others in the group. Not straight away though as they were down the Uzbekistan Embassy sorting out their visas, something I had done in London. I chose the pink covered bed in the room!

My room

Istanbul Railway Station

Old steam engine

Yerebatan Uskubi Ibraham Aga Mosque  

I wandered round during the day to the railway station museum hoping to see one of the old Orient Express coaches but there was very little there other than the steam engine. Then to the Yerebatan Uskubi Ibraham Aga Mosque . There was a short queue at the Basilica Cistern so I went inside as I had heard that it was well worth seeing. It was fantastic and well worth the visit. I did get myself dressed up in a costume supplied by people in the cistern but they would only supply their own photograph, they would not allow anyone to have a picture taken with a personal camera which would have been easier to put on the internet.

Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern column 

Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern column head

Ugh!

 On the street was the remains of a stone pillar which used to indicate the distances to various cities throughout the Byzantine world. The was not much of the pillar remaining though it had been there since the 4th Century AD.

The stone column with a modern excuse for one

Various street scenes

Central Park

Shop

A shop in the Spice Market

The entrance to the Grand Bazaar

Inside the Grand Bazaar

Inside the Grand Bazaar

Inside the Grand Bazaar

Istanbul tram

Lots of street restaurants from £10 a meal

I eat for £3 a meal

I finally met the others going on the trip this evening. No picture of them yet, but they consist of a 24 year old Australian (Tom), three Australian couples (Ross and Judy, David and Jackie, Joanne and Gary), three British ladies, Maggie, Anita and Suzanne, a British man living in Norway (Ian) and myself, a total of 12 passengers on the truck with Goren and Helen as the Odyssey Overland leaders. 

No blog for a while as we head for Georgia and Armenia tomorrow and we will be bush camping. It's actually Friday 2 May today and I am slowly catching up with the blog. There's so much to see and do!