2010-05-03 Wonderful Day Exploring Istanbul, Turkey





I went EVERYWHERE today: saw Sultan’s palaces, famous Blue Mosque, everyday life in Istanbul, museums, parks, shopping areas, ancient cisterns, and government buildings. Saw the beautiful City from a hilltop for an amazing multi-course Turkish dinner with Gary’s team, a great group of people. I was honored to have a tour guide show me the city. I was able to see Joseph’s turban!, David’s sword!, and even the skull and arm bone of John the Baptist. My day put history into a new perspective for me. I realized how important a city Istanbul is, being on the straight…


The Bosphorus or Bosporus also known as the Istanbul Strait is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles. The world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara (which is connected by the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea). It is approximately 30 km (19 mi) long, with a maximum width of 3,700 m (12,139 ft) at the northern entrance, and a minimum width of 700 m (2,297 ft) between Kandilli and Aşiyan; and 750 m (2,461 ft) between Anadoluhisarı and Rumelihisarı. The depth varies from 36 to 124 m (118 to 407 ft) in midstream. The shores of the strait are heavily populated as the city of Istanbul (with a metropolitan area in excess of 11 million inhabitants) straddles it.