Part 2 - Turkey

Monday, October 27th, was a lazy day at sea as the Freedom made its way to the beautiful coastal town of Marmaris. We explored the ship; spent time in the fitness center trying to recover from far too much gluttony; visited the library; sat out on the deck and took a brief nap. It was a full day, but very relaxing. That evening we dressed for dinner in our formal evening attire, which in our case meant a sports coat, tie and slacks and a nice pants suit for Shirley. Formal nights on a cruise ship have evolved from tux and tails and sequined gowns to a much more casual look. As a matter of fact, we've become a much more casual society. Who remembers the last time they saw someone flying on an airplane in a suit or nice dress? Still there are those who choose these opportunities to dress up and many others who are satisfied with suits and ties and attractive dresses. Some, of course, pay no attention whatsoever to proper decorum and wear short sleeve shirts. There's always some, right? It's actually refreshing to see men and women dressed to the nines waiting for their photographs to be taken.

Mid-morning we arrived at the port of Marmaris and spent the afternoon in this bustling tourist resort in southwest Turkey. The weather was mild and sunny and we enjoyed a leisurely walk through the streets of the village. Marmaris has a population of about twenty thousand people, but since the 1980's construction boom, the tourist business has rapidly expanded and is not uncommon for the population to explode to 300,000 or more during the busy toursit season. It was a brief, but enjoyable day in Marmaris and we headed back to Freedom at five o'clock for the scheduled six p.m. departure.

The next day, Wednesday, we arrived early in the morning at the port of Izmir, known as The Pearl of the Aegean. Called Smyrna by the Greeks, Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of over two and a half million people. The primary tourist attraction near Izmir is the ancient city of Ephesus and this is where we headed. Ephesus is in many ways even more impressive then Pompeii, though not nearly as well known. Many of the structures such as the Gate of Augustus; the Temple of Hadrian; the Theatre and the Roman Celsus Library are virtually intact. In fact, Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins East of the Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated. It was a wonderful day, the weather was perfect and the sites magnificent. There were of course thousands of visitors which detracted to some degree from the majesty surrounding us. However, we managed to wind our way through the throngs and enjoyed our day at Ephesus. The Freedom sails today for Istanbul at four o'clock so we off we go.

Istanbul, the third largest city in the world was once known as the Byzantium Empire and later as Constantinople. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, and is the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents. We grabbed a bus at the port and made our way to the three primary sites that we had decided to tour. First on our list was the Hagia Sophia: Originally a church, later a mosque, now a museum, was the largest ever cathedral building in the world for a thousand years. We entered the church and marveled at the imposing dome and the beautiful marble flooring and the mosaics throughout the chapel that have been restored. Restorers have attempted to balance both the Muslim and Christian art work.

We quickly walked to our next venue, the Blue Mosque, the national mosque of Turkey and is so named due to the blue tiles that adorn the walls of the interior. We took off our shoes at the door and quietly walked through the mosque noting the faithful at prayer. The cascading domes and the six minarets surrounding the mosque dominate the skyline of the city. The call to prayer can be heard throughout the city five times a day. There are almost three thousand mosques in Istanbul so their presence is certainly noted. In any event, it was a very interesting stop.

Our next stop was at the Topkapi Palace, home to the original sultan and the center of the Ottoman Empire for four centuries. Topkapı Palace was the center of the Ottoman Empire for more than four centuries. The sultan, the political and religious head of the Muslims, and his harem lived here, business conducted, the head of the Ottoman bureaucracy trained, and the elite corps of the sultan, the Janissaries, accommodated. Sultan Mehmet II, conquerer of Constantinople, spurned the old palace of the Byzantine emperors; just a few years after his victory, Topkapı Palace was built. The palace is located on tip of the peninsula, where Constantinople had been built, buffeted on one side by the Sea of Marmara and on the other by the Golden Horn. At time more than 5,000 people lived at the palace. We worked our way through the many rooms that house the beautiful dresses, rare weapons, and precious treasures of the Ottoman empire. We marveled at the festive clothes, famous swords of the sultans and treasures like jeweled panaches, the famous Topkapı dagger, and the 86-carat spoon diamond. Across the plaza is a large garden, where several pavilions served the rest and relaxation of the Sultans. There is also a cafe with a wonderful view of the entry into the Bosporus, the quarters of the Genovian and the Asian part of İstanbul.

Just enough time left for a quick stop at the Covered Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world. There are more than 4,000 shops selling everything from jewelry, pottery, spice to carpet. Construction on the bazaar began in 1464 and it was restored in 1894 after an earthquake. Needless to say, with over a quarter of a million visitors each day, our stay was brief. What a sight!