Istanbul

View from Hotel Room in Istanbul

 We arrived in Istanbul after a very comfortable stay in Abu Dhabi, compliments of Etihad Airlines.
The next day was May Day and the entire city area where we were staying was shut down.  There were thousands of protesters marching in the street.  We managed to get out and go for a 2 hour walk to see it all first hand.  We then had problems getting back into our hotel.  For some strange reason, they decided to congregate in front of the hotel before moving on to the square.

Protest in square on Mayday

 The next day after sight seeing, I decided to go down town to do some shopping.  I confronted more protesters, this time protesting about the football.  Apparently they were accused of fixing the games.  that was enough for them to take to the streets.  Again, thousand of them, dozens of riot police with their riot shields and tear gas to boot!!  Really, don't they have a  life?

Sultan's Palace - outside the Harem!

 Istanbul is a very interesting city. 17 million people.  Much more of a European city than we expected.
We toured the Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, the Sultan's palace and many other sights in the city.

Sultan's Palace

Hagia Sophia in the background

It is much colder than we expected.  We had to go out and buy jackets.  Apparently it is because of the cold water flowing from the Black Sea that keeps the temperature down.

Outside Harem

Cruising on the Bosphorus