ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Some of our group standing in the sultan palace grounds.  Dima Mikulin is on the far right.

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Horse watering trough in the Sultanamet Park.  Once used for chariot racing it is now a large gathering place for social functions.

Elder Patterson in the Grand Bazaar.

Us standing in front of the Hafia Sofia Museum at night after dinner and on our walk back to the hotel.

Outer walls of the sultan's palace--Topaki Palace and Museum

Street inside the palace; a city within a palace; entrance to harem straight ahead

Courtyard within the harem.  Notice all the private apartment windows overlooking the courtyard

Sister Patterson blending right in with the tiled walls.  All rooms in the palace featured tiles like these

Elder Patterson standing in front of a bed--hard as rock because it was made of rock!

Elder Patterson taking some R&R in front of an ancient cypress tree

Cypress tree with bared roots

Us standing inside of one of the trees in the palace courtyard

The Bosporus Strait and our cruise in Istanbul

Red Crescent Flags are everywhere in the city--huge flags not smaller ones!

Ancient castle and walls--This city boasts many ancient walls and ruins still standing from the 4th and 5th centuries.

Inside a cistern where we ate.  You could see the water marks on the walls.

Inside the Basilica Cistern.  Water is about 2-3 feet deep

Upside down Medusa column--why?  No one knows.  There is also a identical sideways one.

Column with "the evil eye" motif on it.  The "evil eye" is everywhere on bags, bracelets, necklaces, etc.  It is blue and white with a black eye in the center.

The Hafia Sophia Cathedral/Museum.  Absolutely enormous stone building that is a contradiction of both Muslim and Christian history.

Inside the Sofia Museum.  Notice the very large chandeliers that hange down about 12 feet off the floor.

A contrast in two major religions--Islam in the two round signs and above the windows a fresco of Mary and Child

One of four pillars that support the weight of the ceiling in the Blue Mosque.  These pillars are called elephant legs and very aptly named too!

Sister Patterson standing in front of one of the elephant leg pillars just to give you a bit of an idea of how large these things are.

The Blue Mosque nicknamed for the blue tile work in the interior.  The only mosque with six mineret towers surrounding it.  If you are standing nearby during a call to prayer your ears get blasted.

A night view of the mosque

Inner courtyard of the Blue Mosque and the porches that anciently were used for trading, buying, and selling.  The wood doors were opened each Friday for this type of activity at the mosque.  Stairs and couryard are large slabs of marble

Windows inside the Blue Mosque.  Beautiful stained glass

A partitioned place where women who wish to pray must go.  They are not allowed in the main part of the mosque to pray.