Our stay at The Magnaura Palace Hotel was the ideal
choice. A superb experience
made all the
finer through the hospitality of Mehmet Atas and his staff. The hotel was
perfectly located within
walking distance of the Blue Mosque, the Haji Sofia, Topaki
Palace, Sultanahmet
Square, the Basilica Cistern, Kaiser Wilhelm’s fountain, Column
Constantine and
the many restaurants and cafes. We
started each day with a buffet
breakfast on the hotel’s rooftop restaurant
overlooking the Bosphorus, where we were
greeted by an early fog and a pleasing
sunrise to start our day.
Oh, let’s not forget our favorite, the Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus,
which expanded
our travels to the European side of Istanbul, across the Galata
Bridge, over the Golden
Horn, to see the Galata Tower, Taksim Square,
Dolmabahce Palace and Mosque, and
more.
Onward travel over the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asian side of Istanbul,
took us
to see the Ortakoy Mosque and the Beylerbeyi Palace.
One of the most impressive sights in Istanbul is the
Dolmabahce Palace with its
splendid interior décor and luxurious furnishings. The grand façade is complimented
by the
surrounding gardens and the adjoining view of the scenic Bosphorus.
To add to our enjoyment, the weather was wonderful allowing
us to walk
all over Istanbul, to see the Aqueduct of Valens, Fatih Mosque, the
Chora Church,
Suleymaniye Mosque and the many outdoor markets. We trekked from Taksim
Square through the
busy shops and markets of Istikal Street to Galata Tower and
beyond.
We went to the Basilicia Cistern, an ancient underground
cistern, of enormous
cavernous size, capable of holding 100,000 tons of
water. Its usage dates back to the
Byzantine
period, 527 to 565 BC. Visitors walk on elevated
platforms with accented
lighting to view its ancient architectural elements.
We were able to enjoy a panoramic view of Istanbul, have a leisure lunch at an
outdoor cafe and then returned by cable car to continue our day with a scenic boat
cruise on the historic Bosphorus, an important waterway through-out the centuries,
and still remains so to this day.
THREE WORDS: NEXT STOP
CAIRO!
