The beginning of this journey to Turkey found our Grand Circle Travels group promptly submerged in the culture of a city of 17 million people. After orientation, a good night's sleep, and a hearty breakfast at our lovely hotel to shake off the jet lag, we had a marathon first day of amazing sights with our trip leader, Salih. Istanbul reminds us that Turkey will be a "walking history lesson". A beautiful day to visit the Blue Mosque, built in the 1600's, the Hagia Sophia, once a mosque and the largest Christian church in the world (now a museum), and Topkapi, palace to the 25 Muslim sultan over 600 years through the Ottoman, Greek, Roman, etc...eras. History has a whole new meaning here! Off to the Grand Bazaar this afternoon, a labarynth of 4000 shops! And finally, we enjoyed our Welcome dinner - authentic Turkish menu, in a bustling Saturday night neighborhood. Turkey is the only city in the world that claims two continents - 3% in Europe and 97% in aAsia Minor. But I swear that they all live in Istanbul and we saw them today!
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