Today we toured Bursa, visiting several of its fine mosques and of course an obligatory trip to the silk market! The mosques were lovely and their beauty was enhanced by Lisa's presence, complete with head scarf and long dress.
The silk market is situated in a large building with an enclosed courtyard and has dozens of vendors. Each has their own product as patterns vary between shop while the items (head scarves, shawls, ties) are fairly similar. We purchased a few items, mostly as gifts and then it was time to bid farewell to Asia (allahasmaldiq) and hello to Europe and the mother of all cities, ISTANBUL! We took the ferry across the sea of Marmara and arrived in Istanbul around 6pm. It was a bit sad as we also had to say goodbye to our guide Kemal and we really enjoyed our time with him. However, the excitement of being in Istanbul overwhelmed all other considerations.
We checked in to the lovely Amira hotel and relaxed a bit before dinner at an upscale restaurant (Matbah) that serves dishes based on old Ottoman palace recipes. We both had the leg of lamb and it was delicious. Unfortunately, Lisa had to get on a call with Yamana's BOD at 9pm (Turkey time) so we had to hustle back after dinner; we did a quick hustle through the courtyard of the magnificent Blue Mosque and then Lisa settled in to a solid 24 hours of work (with nap breaks) as Yamana was announcing a significant acquisition in the morning. Work to Live or Live to Work? What a question.
The silk market is situated in a large building with an enclosed courtyard and has dozens of vendors. Each has their own product as patterns vary between shop while the items (head scarves, shawls, ties) are fairly similar. We purchased a few items, mostly as gifts and then it was time to bid farewell to Asia (allahasmaldiq) and hello to Europe and the mother of all cities, ISTANBUL! We took the ferry across the sea of Marmara and arrived in Istanbul around 6pm. It was a bit sad as we also had to say goodbye to our guide Kemal and we really enjoyed our time with him. However, the excitement of being in Istanbul overwhelmed all other considerations.
We checked in to the lovely Amira hotel and relaxed a bit before dinner at an upscale restaurant (Matbah) that serves dishes based on old Ottoman palace recipes. We both had the leg of lamb and it was delicious. Unfortunately, Lisa had to get on a call with Yamana's BOD at 9pm (Turkey time) so we had to hustle back after dinner; we did a quick hustle through the courtyard of the magnificent Blue Mosque and then Lisa settled in to a solid 24 hours of work (with nap breaks) as Yamana was announcing a significant acquisition in the morning. Work to Live or Live to Work? What a question.
istanbul? not constantinople?
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