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Istanbul to Cairo: Hi everyone, departed Istanbul this afternoon for Cairo. Have been keeping track of the goings on and our tour organiser has said all is currently OK, he can change our Cairo visits if necessary. Actually, we had not planned too much in Cairo, mostly around the Pyramids anyway.
Loved Istanbul, amazing amount of people ... between 12 and 18 million people, they estimate at least 10 plus living in the Asian region. It spans two continents, Europe and Asia. A very big bustling city, with around four million cars! The number of times we were stuck in a car or bus in what looked like a car park instead of a street!
We also arrived during the Holy month of Ramadan, the moslem community fast from sun up to sun down. We stayed near the Blue Mosque and of an evening the square was covered in families with their picnic baskets all ready to enjoy their meal. The traffic to and from the square was horrendous! Unfortunately we Aussies took a rather selfish delight in eating our evening meals at cafe's and roadside restaurants which would have made their journey to the square past the cafe's and restaurants unbearable! Food was really good too by the way, after the very bland meals in Spain.
Our accommodation was great too, right in the middle of the old city of Sultanahmet, literally a stones throw from the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hargia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. Every accommodation hostel or hotel it seems have a roof top terrace as their selling point, some which overlook the Bosphorus sea, some which look out onto the amazing monuments, we were lucky, our view was of both.
On Saturday, Jeannie, Jim and I ventured out to the Spice Bazaar. (poor Richard had then thrown a fetlock and decided against the exercise) The smells of the spices were absolutely amazing, Turkish delight at every corner, exotic perfumes, carpets, rugs, leather coats, (the latter few a must for Darwin), rifles, guns .... what tha? Yes, shops selling the latest range of weaponry ... and tiles. All types of Izmet tiles, which are made in the area, obviously replicating those adorning walls in the ancient monuments.
As with Spain and the Moorish architecture, I think I am over the Roman/Byzantine/Sultan and Ottoman buildings for the time being. We decided not to visit the Dolmabache Palace, 250 room Ottoman Palace where in it's recent history, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, the first President of Turkey, passed away. The room where he died is preserved exactly as it was when he died. (Hope they changed the linen ... I think we were all palaced out by then too).
Yesterday we took a open top bus trip around the European district, passed Taksim Square, and onto the Asian quarter. Taksim Square was very quiet but there were buses of fully armed Police at every corner. We only touched the Asia quarter, the bus stopped of at one of the Palaces on the shore of the Bosphorus, and then it was back into the European area.
Hi all, has been quite a hectic few days without WIFI so will see if I can remember what has happened! Arrived in Cairo on 15th July, a very big busy and dirty city. We have been lucky though, because of Ramadan, the streets have been quieter than normal (?) Our hotel was magnificent, a great view of the Pyramids at Giza. On the 17th we overnight trained it down to Luxor to join our cruise of the Nile. Beautiful! Our tour guides have been wonderful, Mahmood in Cairo was good and Sayed Salim in from Luxor to Aswan. We are currently sitting in the Movenpick Hotel in Aswan using up what little WIFI we have paid for! Enough to get in touch anyway. Off to Abu Simbel tomorrow followed by Cairo for one full day, then back to the land downunder via Dubai, Singapore (transit stops), then to Bali for a few days to get rid of the jet lag. Love to all XXX
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Lyn Great to catch up on your travels. Feels like a walk down memory lane and I can't stop smiling. Can't wait to see the pics!! :)) Lyn