Istanbul to Haifa, IsraelArrival in Israel3am comes early. Too earlyBy 3:35 we are in a cab heading towards SAW International Airport. It takes us 45 minutes speeding and without traffic to get to the airport..It is warm and sunny when we arrive in Tel Aviv at 9:00am.Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv is well organized. Unfortunately you cannot say the same for the car rental process. First of all …
Istanbul Day 3Hagia Sophia We are up and out shortly after 8am in order to have a better placement in line for the 9am opening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque. Getting there st 8:30am the line really snakes around the square in front of the mosque and is hundreds of people long and continues to expand quickly behind us. It starts to move ever so slowly at 9am.Due to renovations, …
Istanbul Day 2Dolmbahce Palace I did not sleep well. I don’t know why. Might have been the pizza, half box of Turkish delights, glass of wine or glass of raki (like Greek ouzo)…but who knows?After breakfast at the apartment we grab a taxi and head across the Galata Bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul. Part of Istanbul is in Europe and the other part is in Asia. The divider …
Istanbul Day 1Ring Necked Parakeets We have a late start due to jet lag. The day is dull and drizzly. Our apartment is close to many of the main attractions so no need for a cab.Almost immediately I hear the calls of parrots, turns out they are ring necked parakeets.Basilica CisternOur first stop is the Basilica Cistern. John and I last toured this cistern on our honeymoon in 1992.The cistern …