Wonders of Turkey - March, 2009. 0 Depart San Francisco, CA, USA 12-MAR-2009 12:33:44 0 Istanbul 13-MAR-2009 00:01:38 Checked into the luxurious CONRAD Hotel. Took a 12 kilometer walk into the old part of town. Toured the spice market & walked the streets - letting my senses take in all of the stimulus around me (sounds of a million car horns, the smell of the salt sea air, and the jibberish of the Turkish language that I do not understand, and the daily calls to prayer blasting from the mosque's PA systems). Walked by the Royal Palace on the Bosphorus River, watched some old men repair a fishing boat, and a crowd fishing off of the bridge over the Golden Horn. 0 Istanbul - Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace 14-MAR-2009 11:53:07 This morning we visited the ancient site of the Roman Hippodrome (chariot racetrack), the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Cathedral, and Topkapi Palace. The palace was the residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853. Up to 15,000 people lived within the palace walls at it's peak, under Suleiman the Magnificent. 0 Gallipoli, tilted bus, ferry - Canakkale 15-MAR-2009 11:55:43 Today we drove along the European side of the Dardanelles Straights & the Sea of Marmar to Gallipoli. The infamous battleground at Gallipoli is where the Turkish troops soundly defeated English, French, Australian, & New Zealand troops attempting to land & control the entrance to the straights. Our tour bus caught the right front tire on the soft shoulder, while driving up tot he Lone Pine Memorial. While attempting to back up, the driver put the right rear tire into the soft shoulder, almost rolling the bus onto it's side. We had to abandon the bus & walk the final 3 miles uphill to the memorials. A smaller bus arrived to take us to the ferry, that carried us across the straight to Canakkale. We spent the night at the 8 story Kolin Hotel, which sat right on the straight. Every room had an waterfront view & of the ship passing through the straight. 0 Troy, Pergamon, Asclepion 16-MAR-2009 12:01:58 We visited the ancient ruins of the city of Troy. Then onto Pergamon & nearby Asclepion. 0 Ephesus 17-MAR-2009 12:04:23 We started the day in the ancient roman city of Ephesus. After examining the ruins, architecture, engineering, sanitary sewer system, and learning about the history of the city, we explored on our own. We then visited the nearby House of the Virgin Mary, where Mary hid after the crucifixtion of her son Jesus. We then continued onto Kusadasi, where we spent the night on the Aegean Sea. 0 PAMUKKALE 18-MAR-2009 12:15:30 0 HEIRAPOLIS 18-MAR-2009 12:22:10 0 CAPPADOCIA 19-MAR-2009 12:23:41 0 GöREME, KAYMAKI 20-MAR-2009 12:24:01 0 Avanos, Turkey 20-MAR-2009 21:40:39 0 CAPPADOCIA 21-MAR-2009 12:00:32 0 ANKARA 21-MAR-2009 12:27:07 0 ISTANBUL 22-MAR-2009 12:29:51 0 ISTANBUL - DEPARTURE 23-MAR-2009 12:30:44 0 PARIS, FRANCE 23-MAR-2009 12:45:28 0 Arrive San Francisco, CA 24-MAR-2009 12:55:36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0