Departed Winnipeg 2:20 PM on Thursday Sep 29 - after stops in Montreal and Munich arrived in Istanbul around 3:30 PM Istanbul time Friday - so not counting the 8 hour time change, about a 24 hour journey! Checked into a hotel in the Sultanahmet (Old Town) area of Istanbul and after a very brief nap I did manage to get out this evening for a walk around Sultanahmet - it was getting dark but I managed to get my first glimpse of the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya church which are very impressive. My first impressions of Istanbul is how it stimulates your senses....the hotel is close to a restaurant district so you can smell the grills, you can hear the call for prayers, and from my hotel window you can see golden roofs shining on the other side of the bay. As different as Istanbul is to my home, I fully expect Antakya/Hatay to be to Istanbul. I was the first of my team to arrive and I am looking forward to finally meeting my teammates in person tomorrow.
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| View from hotel room in Istanbul (overlooking Sea of Marmara) |
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| Blue Mosque |
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| Another view of the Blue Mosque |
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