This morning it was raining and COLD. We went to Topkapi Palace Museum. It was difficult because it was very crowded and umbrellas make it much more difficult for people to get around each other. The palace rooms are all off of courtyards so you are constantly going outside and waiting behind people to get in rooms. My socks were soaked through. Even my purse got wet because it wasn't always under the umbrella. I had only worn a thin jacket, so I was really cold. However, the palace, and especially the haram were very interesting and we were there for four hours. There were interesting cooking pots, jewels, (a GIANT diamond) and of course, beautiful tiles everywhere. Then we went to a restaurant for hot soup and tea.
Afterwards, the rain had stopped and we went back to the hotel and I changed into dry clothes and my fleece jacket. Then we went over and bought a ticket (90 TL) for a hop on- hop off bus. We got a 2 hour tour of Istanbul. It was great because we got to see how huge this city is. The bus drove over a suspension bridge over the Bosphorus. When you get to the other side, there is a sign "Welcome to Asia". Then it drove back over to the other side and there's another sign "Welcome to Europe." Each time I wasn't fast enough to get a photo of the sign. Here's a photo taken from between continents.
Annette's brother-in-law,Scott, works in Turkey. He joined us for the bus tour and dinner. We ate at a place called Sultan Club Roof Restaurant and Terrace. (We ate inside-too cold everywhere else). Scott recommended that we order a traditional Turkish dish called Testi Kababi. It's a stew that's cooked in a clay pot in the oven. They bring it out on a flaming tray. Then they break the clay pot open and put the stew on the plate. It was fabulous. (90 TL for a dish for two).
Despite the weather, we had a great day.
17,201 steps. 7.18 miles
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