What trip to Istanbul would be complete without hitting some of the top 10 spots? After awakening from our slumber this morning, we had a wonderful breakfast at the Divan City hotel, checked out of our room, and took a taxi along the Bosphorus into the living breathing heart of the old city. This heart, Sultanahmet, would become our base of operations for the next day-and-a-half. We checked into our splurge hotel, the Four Seasons Istanbul (which I am sure John will describe in detail), and hit the ground running!

The first stop on our historic Istanbul tour was one of the world’s most magnificent pieces of enduring architecture, the Hagia Sophia (pronounced Aya Sofia). Doubtless many of you will remember seeing this hulking Byzantine church-turned mosque-turned new seventh wonder of the world in introductory art history texts! Inaugurated by Justinian in 537, the building has been modified many times over, but its enduring dimensions are awe-inspiring, as its nave rises 184 free-standing feet to heaven. Designed to mirror the heavens, the church served as the marker for the center of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries, with original 5th cen. gilded mosaics, marble columns, and frescoes lending credibility to its place in world history. John and I wandered around with creened necks to take in the overwhelming beauty from days of old. The building still has a way of humbling people!

We transitioned from Byzanine architecture to Ottoman when we walked to the north of Hagia Sophia and visited Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman Sultanate since 1465. A vast complex of gardens, throne rooms, treasuries, and common areas, I felt as though we were visiting the Versailles of the East! Jewel encrusted shoes, daggers, pendants, etc. can awe a person to a certain extent, but we were most interested in visiting the harem!! While waiting for our guarded tour of the harem (yes, the sultan would keep a fair share of wives and concubines on hand in this area of the palace), whom should we happen to see, but dear Mel! It was great to catch up with her again and then spend the rest of the day sightseeing with her. The harem was an exquisite labyrinth of dining rooms, throne rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, and libraries all decorated in Middle eastern tile and lots of gold! If you are ever in Istanbul, it is worth paying the two admission fees to get a glimpse of the daily life of the Sultans.

The Blue Mosque was next on our itinerary, and it was a enormous mosque built in the 17th century, but was less impressive than Hagia Sophia. The most part difficult was avoiding the scheduled 5 calls to prayer during the day. After the Blue Mosque, we headed over to the Grand Bazar to do some shopping: it is something else! Acres of covered stalls and stores hawked wares of all persuasions in the smoke-filled labyrinth. John put his business school algorithims and equations to the test as he haggled with vendors, usually getting his desired price. I, on the other hand, showed my resolve by stroking my bushy beard and using my shrewd bargaining skills picked up from living for 4 months in the Old City of Jerusalem. Mel was very happy just to be in the safe company of two men who could watch out for her in the crowded, pushy venue.

By four o'clock we were in need of a “Dunch” or “Linner,” having foregone lunch in the haste to see the city. After wandering the streets around the bazar, and consulting a guide book, we stumbled on a nice café called Hazar. This street restaurant spilled out from the ground floor of a private home and was staffed by a young boy. I guess they don’t worry too much about child labor in Istanbul! We had a wonderful platter of lamb and chicken kebab with fresh baked bread, lettuce, and pickled beans before saying “Cheers,” to Mel for the evening.

Our day wasn’t quite complete, though, as John and I needed a good relaxing….with a Turkish Bath! We headed back up the crowded streets at dusk and arrived at our destination: a 300 year old Turkish bath house called Cagaloglu. We changed into dish towels and sat on heated marble slabs in a domed room at steaming at 110 F with other male Turks. Every few seconds, we would dip our hands into the basin next to us and splash hot water over our bodies. A couple of minutes into the steamy adventure, a huge Turkish man busted through the door in WCW style, summoned one of the Turks, and began pummeling him! We were a bit scared, since we were next, but I think they gave us the “tourist treatment,” taking our pummeling “massage” a little easier. The hulking beastly man gave us an exfoliating body scrub (exposing the fact that I probaby haven't taken a "real" bath since I was four), rinsed us off, and marched back out of the door. I was glad that I was still alive and that my lung had not collapsed! It was very cool to sit in the silence of the 300 year old hararet (hot room), and think about how countless generations before me (including the Romans) had done the same treatment as a way to promote hygiene and provide a venue for politics and gossip. As we left, and our large helper dried us off, he grabbed my hand. "Good service mean good tip," he said with a smile.

Wow! What a day! The Four Seasons welcomed our weary bodies back into its opulent halls for the evening; we were the same people that had arrived just 12 hours earlier, but we were now full of stories and forever impacted by this incredible city of history. Time for some wine.