Crazy Travelers: Last Days - Countdown

Here is another movie where you can hear the call to prayers. This one has better video - it is the view from our new hotel with the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the tram and the street. If it takes a while to load, read the rest of the blog and then come back and watch the video.

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension. Preparing a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for the city to generate considerable cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Istanbul was one of the cities chosen for 2010 and we see banners all over the place about it, and also improvements happening which were funded by or because of the designation. For example, right across the street from our hotel is the Hippodrome, and they are busy installing new pavers over the entire walkway.

Today we visited the Dolmabache Palace. One of the most opulent palaces in Istanbul, it was built on the banks of the Bosphorus in 1856 as the new imperial residence. During the time of the Empire's decline, Sultan Abdülmecit commissioned two architects from the Armenian Balyan family to design the extravagant palace and financed it with expensive loans from Europe. No wonder the Ottoman Empire did not survive much longer.

The palace is amazing in its opulence - over 600 rooms, 150 bedrooms, crystal chandeliers from England and France, frescos painted on every square inch, gold leaf everywhere. Except this palace seemed like it belongs in France, not Turkey. The tour itself was a bit disappointing - the guides kept us moving, so we barely could stop to look at anything and they didn't give us much information about what we were seeing. And the guides kept disappearing so I couldn't ask questions. I guess we were spoiled by Jon. Anyway, here are some photos from the grounds, no photos allowed inside.

While waiting for our tour of the Harem, we struck up a conversation with a couple of Greek girls who were here on vacation. I chuckled to myself when they asked where all we had been in Turkey and we told them Ephesus, Troy, Perge, etc. and they said "You know, those are all Greek." Well, yes, Greek and Roman and Turkish and Ottoman and Bronze Age and a few others who passed through.

Here is one of several peacocks on the grounds. He was the only one showing off.

There were several groups of school kids there on field trips. They were taking turns having their pictures taken in front of one of the palace guards. These are the guys who have to stand there and not move or blink or breath.

Then we took the furnicular up to Taksim Square and walked back down again, the same as we did on Day 2 of our vacation. This time we watched people....

....ate lunch, had an ice cream and had some fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

More cats. This first one was just sitting right by the busy sidewalk nursing her baby. They were there yesterday too. Except her "baby" looks as though it is big enough to be on its own and not nursing. The other cat climbed on Armando's lap the second he sat down.