Home at Last!

We're home! The flights home were uneventful. The only thing we did after returning is eat at Railhead BBQ. Then, 27 hours after getting up in Istanbul, we went to bed.

Note: I have posted more photos of our trip at www.pbase.com/hamstra/syria

Miles to go Before I Sleep

Two AM came 8 hours earlier for us than it did for you in Texas. By the time we get to Ataturk Airport outside of Istanbul we will have another 6,278 miles to go. Look for us at the Willow Park Railhead BBQ Wednesday night if we don't fall asleep when we get home!

Reflections on Istanbul

Tranquility

Reasons I like this town.

Architecture

Parks

Vendors

Art

Flowers

Cobblestones

Quest for the Elusive Double Magnum

The Double Magnum is without a doubt the most awesome ice cream bar on the planet. On our previous trip here three years ago we practically survived on them. It is apparently indigenous to the Middle East. Unfortunately, it appears to be rapidly disappearing from it's natural environment. Hence we determined to set out to hunt down and devour this rapidly disappearing delicacy before it became extinct. As these photos prove, we were successful!

Jeff captures one...

... and delivers the coup de grâce.

Istanbul: Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque

The fine people at the Seven Hills Hotel & Restaurant across the street from us graciously allowed us to photograph from their roof early this morning. At first the light did not look promising. But the situation improved and we got some great shots. This is the Blue Mosque. Built following the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Empire (prior to that the city was know as Constantinople) it was completed in 1616.

Side Hotel

This is a view of our terrace at the Side Hotel from the terrace of the Seven Hills Hotel.

Serpentine Column, from 478 BC

This is a photo of the 2,487 year old Serpentine Column at the sight of the hippodrome, but mainly it's a photo of police in kevlar vests with automatic weaponry.

Jeff Meets a new Friend

Istanbul: Walking

Rustem Pasa Mosque

We've done a lot of walking on this trip and today was no exception. It was just a little more leisurely as we had no real agenda. We took the tram across the Golden Horn, then took the underground funicular up the hill. From there it's a pleasant walk back down the hill on a pedestrian only street lined with shops. We walked across the bridge over the Golden Horn and visited one of our favorite mosques, the Rustem Pasa Mosque. This mosque is know for the high quality tiles that the interior is adorned with.

Have some fresh squeezed orange juice...

... or pomegranate juice.

Syria: Epilogue

Since we left Syria yesterday 120 people have died in peaceful protests around Damascus and other cities in Syria.