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DAY 2
After a well deserved sleep of approx 10 hrs we were well prepared for a busy day.... It certainly didn't disappoint!
We left at 8:30 and our first stop was Topkapi Seraglio which translates to Cannon Gate Palace. Wow, what a beautiful place - the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years, constructed in the mid 15th century. As well as a Royal residence it was a setting for state occasions and Royal entertainments. Today it's used as a museum.
The palace consists of 4 main courtyards and many smaller buildings.
The Imperial Treasury housed the most stunning artifacts I've seen including mother-of-pearl inlaid thrones, exquisite Chinese porcelain, jade statues and jewellery, 48kg solid gold candlestick holders and the 86 carat 'Spoonmakers Diamond'.... Wowee, what a stunner! We visited the impressive Armoury - both Aleisha and I found it to be our favourite room. An amazing display of weaponry, swords, sheilds, suits and helmets.
We also saw costumes the sultans and his family wore at the time. They were huge I might add! Some of them looked like they were designed for giants. The kids costumes were especially cute!
We were told of the 7 kitchens on the grounds (but could not visit them) that employed 600-700 staff. Each kitchen was designated to 1 special person! One kitchen for the Sultan, 1 for his mother, 1 for one of his wives etc etc.
We visited a special display of the Harem and learnt about life within the Harem. We walked through rooms designated as kiosks (converted to libraries later) and the circumcision room. We also saw displays of Muhammed's holy relics including his footprint, turban, cloak and sword and other artifacts including Moses' rod. We spent a great deal of time within the Palace as there was so much to see. My favourite place apart from the Armoury was within the Garden section at the rear of the palace which had the most amazing view of the Bosporus.
Next along the path was Hagia Sophia. The church was built in 532 as an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, later becoming a Roman Catholic Cathedral and then a mosque. At the time of it's construction it was the largest building in the world. Chandeliers adorn the ceilings, marble tiles on the floors and a huge dome ceiling! To be honest there was so much information given to us on each site we visited I have simply not remembered it all. I look forward to reading about it all some more when we return home. We ventured to the top level where the Empress viewed proceedings downstairs and stunning artworks of Jesus are displayed here too.
We then walked through the original location of the Hippodrome (horse track) which is now a paved mall area with shops, food stalls etc. Along the pathway is Thutmosis' obelisk (1 of 7 in the world) displaying Egyptian hieroglyphs. I was particularly happy to see this one :). I can't remember where he said the rest were apart from 1 in Paris and 1 in New York City. A quick bite to eat on the run - a Turkish pretzel... Yum!
Next stop the Blue Mosque built in 1609. We had to cover our hair, shoulders and knees in here as well as remove our shoes. It is an active place for worshippers to this day. Stunning blue tiles adorn the walls and ceiling and more chandeliers here too. There are 6 spires on the roof. The norm is 2 or 4 and 8 is regarded as too many. The dome was based on the Hagia Sophia dome although smaller in size.
Back on the bus and through very congested traffic back to the hotel at 5pm. Off to dinner tonight for a taste of Turkish nightlife with traditional Turkish food and belly dancers to entertain us.
Karavansary Cafe was the location for our dinner tonight. We were served a 4 course meal consisting of seasonal vegetables soaked in olive oil, followed by zucchini with melted cheese and pastries, then a beef pot pie with vegetables and finally ice cream with fresh fruit. It was all very nice but way too much for most of us! Whilst we ate we were entertained by an array of belly dancers whose technique seemed to outdo her predecessor. There was a male folk dance group and finally a comedian who somehow knew every language imaginable!! He sang every countries theme song represented by the patrons present. When it came to us Aussies he sang Waltzing Matilda - very funny guy!!
Just about to go to bed - its now 12:14am and we're up at 6:30 for our journey towards Bursa.
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