Vienna – Austria a synopsis by JA

Posted By John Anderson on 05, Sep, 2014

Vienna looks very flat from the air and much greener than Istanbul. Climate is cooler as we step off the plane and into the transit bus to the airport terminal. We notice that very suddenly the language around us has changed from Turkish to German and even though we were surrounded by darker skinned (well tanned) people in Istanbul they suddenly all seem a lot lighter here in Vienna. The airport toilets are good (read: better than...

Blue Mosque, The Egyptian Bazaar and Taksim Square

Posted By John Anderson on 03, Sep, 2014

I’ve got to be honest, the days are starting to blur. Most of the sites we are visiting have been around since JC was in diapers.  Some of these landmarks are dated B.C.  It is totally mind blowing to walk around these places and touch walls or statues that have been around for such a long time.  Australia was colonised 200 years ago… that’s small fry compared to the history in Turkey.  And there is so much to see! We headed to the...

Basilica Cistern & Hagia Sophia

Posted By jelly on 02, Sep, 2014

We learned from our Topkapi experience that the early risers beat the horrendous queues so we made our way early to the Basilica Cisterns.  We ended up being first in the queue and got to experience this wonder of roman engineering and architecture in peace and quiet. The cisterns were once the water supply for the Palace and surrounding areas.  It fell into disuse and was “rediscovered” by by a French Scholar in the...

Topkapi Palace and the Bazaars

Posted By jelly on 01, Sep, 2014

Day 2 and still no sign of our luggage! We decide to head out to Topkapi Palace early to beat the crowds and that was a great move.   Once we got our museum cards and got in, it was like we had the place to ourselves, which made for some stunning photographs.   The sheer size and scale of this palace and the different style of architecture make this a must see attraction in Istanbul.   The tiles are colourful and opulent yet the...

The Journey

Posted By jelly on 30, Aug, 2014

After 40 hours of travelling we arrived in Istanbul! The journey in Emirates Business Class was absolutely sensational. The food and drink service was fantastic and it was great to be able to lie flat and have a snooze. We had a brief stop over at Changi Airport in Singapore. The highlight there was the cleanest public toilet in the world! They are very feedback driven in Singapore and they actually ask you to rate your toilet...