Monday, March 1, 2016

We had a very busy day today, our first day in Istanbul. We Saw a lot and had fun. First we visited the Blue Mosque.

There are some stunning mosaics that were covered up when the couch was made a mosque. They have been uncovered again now.

After leaving the Hagia Sophia we stopped for some Turkish coffee and baklava.

Next we bought tickets for the hop on hop off bus tour of Istanbul. We rode the bus over to the Dolmabahçe Palace. It is right on the Bosphorus and was the palace of the sultans from 1856 and 1924 when the Turkish Republic was created. After that Atatürk used the palace sometimes. It is where he died.

They didn’t allow us to take pictures inside but the palace had all the original opulant furnishings. The painted ceilings, chandeliers and crystal balusters on one of the staircase were especially stunning.

First we toured the part of the palace used for official purposes and then the family parts of the palace, the harem. In the harem each wife had a seaparate 4 story apartment off the central common rooms.

This is Duke’s First trip to Turkey. I was here with my family in 1966 (I think that’s the year) when I was 14 years old. I remember how impressed I was with the beauty of Istanbul. On that 1964 trip we took a boat tour on the Bosphorus. Back then there were no bridges from European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul. Now there are two. Our bus tour took us across one of those bridges. It was rush hour so finishing the bus tour loop took a long time. We got to see a lot of the city. Istanbul still impresses me with its beautiful setting and buildings.

And this is desert, figs, oranges, apricots, walnuts and raisins. And of course Turkish coffee.

Monday, February 29, 2016

It didn’t snow overnight and since Duke had already dug out the car we were able to leave La Granja relatively easily.

There was a bit of traffic but we got to the airport in Madrid with time to spare. The flight to Istanbul was full and there was a delay for fog. I worried a little when our cab driver had to call someone on his cell phone to ask directions to the hotel. But all in all it turned out to be an easy travel day.

I love the Turkish custom of welcoming you with Turkish delight. The first thing they offer you on Turkish Airlines is Turkish delight. As soon as we arrived at the hotel they offered us Turkish delight. And there was also some waiting for us in our room.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

We woke up this morning to about a foot of new snow. We had planned to drive and visit several sites in this area since we are staying in La Granja two nights. But we are pretty much snowed in.

We had a lot of fun walking around town with everyone else enjoying the snow. We had coffee and explored a bit of the famous palace gardens. We saw people on snowshoes, cross country skis and sleds. We overheard one person say that it has been four years since they have had snow like this.

After a couple of hours out exploring we went back to the hotel and had hot chocolate and cookies. We spent the afternoon reading and napping.

We also spent some time digging out our car. We didn’t have a shovel but we improvised and Duke was able to move the car a bit so that we should be able to get out in the morning unless we get more snow.

We are supposed to turn our car in at the Madrid airport tomorrow and catch a 12:15 plane to Istanbul. Although we are only 81 km from Madrid there is a mountain range between us and Madrid. The motorway goes through a tunnel through the mountain so that is good. Right now it is 45 in Madrid and 34 here! Hopefully we will make it to Madrid and catch our plane.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

All through the night last night we could hear the wind howling outside our window and see snow falling. This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. The guy at the gas station told us that snow is unusual for them. Some years they don’t get any.

We got up bundled up and walked down to the main square by the cathedral so we could take some pictures and get some coffee

Then we headed out on our planned route. The visibility kept getting worse and worse and after about an hour of very slow going there started to be snow drifts across the road. We decided it was too dangerous to continue so we turned around and went back to Sigüenza to try another route. This route going south to Madrid was fine except that the direct route to La Granja had chain requirements so we did another alternative route and eventually got to our Parador in La Granja.

After checking in and having a glass of wine we headed out to explore a bit and stretch our legs after sitting in the car all day. Neither of us had ever had roasted chestnuts so Duke bought some. They were wonderful. The bag they were served in had a separate compartment for the shells.

La Granja was chosen by the king of Spain in the 1700s to create a Spanish version of Versailles. The palace and the grounds are beautiful, especially in the snow!

We had dinner in our Parador.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Today we headed south on a cold blustery day. We stopped at the archaeological site of Numancia an Iron Age hill town where the local Celtiberians held out against an enormous Roman siege in 133 BC. The locals eventually committed suicide and burned the town rather than submit to the Romans. Although the town is famous in Roman literature its location was only rediscovered in the 1800s.