Day Seventeen - 18 August 2009 Istanbul and Asia!

middle ages mosaic in Aya Sofia

Aya Sofia

when in Rome...or Istanbul

views from the Bosphorus

Hangover Day: Go to see Aya Sofia, an ancient Cathedral, turned Mosque, turned Museum, having been secularized in 1934. It is full of impressive mosaics, albeit diminished by the passage of time. I also go on a boat across the Bosphorus to Asia with Gaz, John, Rhi and various others, including a morose looking Meg.


Later most go to a Spa for a massage, but Meg and myself skip it for reasons of expense and, to varying degrees, physical capacity.


Dinner was a pizza, more western style than Turkish. Marks = 6/10:

- reasonable crust

- Gruyere or some other uncommon pizza cheese used

- Good flavours generally

- tinned mushrooms (bah!)


Nobody has pointed out my Fall T-shirts yet.