Friday began for Suzanne
with breakfast
and with this breakfast
for me
on the porch of our hotel which sat on the Bosphorous so that we could look towards Asia
and see the bridge across the continents
as the scenery was heightened at times
by passing boats
and scenery in the distance, sometimes blurry
sometimes clear.
Sukru and Arsev were remarkable hosts taking us out to lunch after the seminar at an old Greek restaurant in the spice market
where the food
and scenery were remarkable
and each course brought its own surprises though it was always necessary to have lemon with all food
except dessert.
After lunch, we headed to the Dolmabahce Palace where the sultans lived after they left Topkapi and Sukru, Suzanne and Arsev posed
as we arrived and looked at the clock tower in the distance
and then entered the gate
with flower lined paths
leading to the remarkable palace
where the guard was immovable
as I recorded the scenery
as the line progressed slowly for entry tickets
much to the chagrin of Suzanne and Arsev who were waiting
even as I captured various views of the Palace
and the clock which raised concerns about whether we would get our tickets by 4 when they stopped selling tickets.
but after a few more views
and another guard photo
we were able to make our way forward
onto the grounds
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and into the palace.
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the palace which was quite a remarkable place with rooms larger than houses and furnishings not to be believed as well as carpets that defied the imagination. We also saw artifacts of rooms where famous people met, slept and even died (in the case of locals). This was all combined with a tour guide with a sardonic sense of humor who wanted us to move through the rooms (of which there were nearly 300 in total) as quickly as possible but was willing to pause at the chandelier that weighed 5 tons. Once outside we were again on the Bosphorous and Sukru took this photo of me and Suzanne
and after recording some of the background
Suzanne took these pictures of me with Sukru.
The Hanioglus invited us to dinner at a very elegant restaurant atop a hill on the Asian side. When we arrived the sun was beginning to set and so I recorded the views while I could
before the menus arrived
and then the sun did set
as the dishes arrived and were thoroughly enjoyed
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and on the way back, I captured a few photos of the scenery, in particular the bridge spanning continents in this remarkable city.
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with breakfast
and with this breakfast
for me
on the porch of our hotel which sat on the Bosphorous so that we could look towards Asia
and see the bridge across the continents
as the scenery was heightened at times
by passing boats
and scenery in the distance, sometimes blurry
sometimes clear.
Sukru and Arsev were remarkable hosts taking us out to lunch after the seminar at an old Greek restaurant in the spice market
where the food
and scenery were remarkable
and each course brought its own surprises though it was always necessary to have lemon with all food
except dessert.
After lunch, we headed to the Dolmabahce Palace where the sultans lived after they left Topkapi and Sukru, Suzanne and Arsev posed
as we arrived and looked at the clock tower in the distance
and then entered the gate
with flower lined paths
leading to the remarkable palace
where the guard was immovable
as I recorded the scenery
as the line progressed slowly for entry tickets
much to the chagrin of Suzanne and Arsev who were waiting
even as I captured various views of the Palace
and the clock which raised concerns about whether we would get our tickets by 4 when they stopped selling tickets.
but after a few more views
