Turkish Delights

28/06/2010 9:22 PM

We’re just back into the cabin after tonight’s show Comedy Showtime with American entertainer Dan Riley. First show we’ve been to for about a week...this flu has been so awful...now today I haven’t stopped coughing – most embarrassing in public places.

We have had a quiet day today resting after a strenuous 8hour tour of Istanbul yesterday. However we did venture out a couple of times as it was our day at ANZAC Cove. We came into the cove in time for a dawn service and floated around the area until the main memorial service at 11:00am...a very emotive experience I must say, gazing out on the actual site...why this landing site was chosen I cannot understand. Our boys never stood a chance.

After the dawn service we drifted along the coast and a Turkish expert, Gulgun, and Peter, our onboard cruise historian, gave a full commentary of the campaign from the bridge... yet again very interesting to get the two perspectives n the same incidents... We had our breakfast (including ANZAC biscuits) and then spread ourselves out on deck chairs in the early morning sun on the top deck and followed the commentary through until the sun drove us inside about 9:30. I returned to bed until the service at 11:00 where the ships choir (made up of cruise passengers)sang and a huge wreathe was dropped into the sea by the ship’s officers who had been on parade for the occasion. That was the extent of my day outside... after that it was back to bed and cough, cough, cough until I took my next Panadol to get me through dinner.

Istanbul was delightful – an impressive, well maintained city with luxurious houses along the Bosporus- the strait which separates the continents of Asia and Europe and makes Istanbul the only city in the world to spans two continents. We toured St Sophia’s church now a museum, the Blue Mosque and Topaki Palace, the home of the Sultan. Here I drooled over the third largest diamond in the world, the Spoon Diamond, a mere 86 carats (although I decided my neck wouldn’t be able to hold the weight) and two candle sticks of pure gold each weighing a tiny 48kg. We enjoyed lunch on the Bosporus during a 70 minute cruise north towards the Black Sea. The waterfront housing was amazing – homes worth between 1million and 100 million dollars built into the hills that fall down into the sea on both sides. It was Sunday and everyone was out picnicking and relaxing with the family. It was a tiring day with lots of walking through these huge buildings in the old part of the city but yet again a most enjoyable day.

Early start tomorrow (7:15am)at Santorini. There are only three ways into the town –donkey, stairs or cable car. I don’t think Hobo 1 will take either of the first two! So I should have enjoyed my first cable car trip of the tour by the time you read this.