I was looking forward to my first visit to Turkey

We were due to have a long first day there

Demonstrations were planned so we were advised to take extra care and be back on board before 5pm

We hired a driver to take us around the city

Istanbul is a huge bustling city with 20 million inhabitants

The traffic was horrendous but he navigated through narrow streets to avoid the worst of it

We visited a mosque dating back to the 5th century

The call for prayer went out just before we entered

Taking our shoes off at the door

The ladies covered their heads with scarves

Locals were praying oblivious to our presence

The atmosphere was calm and serene like any house of worship

We walked back via a bazar full of Turkish delights

The free samples were divine

Our driver informed us that police were closing some roads due to demonstrations

He took us to the spice market

I have never seen so many spices

A tsunami of colors and aromas

We bought saffron and baklava

One more stop at a tall monument

Istanbul throngs

Istanbul thrives

Istanbul survives

Istanbul east meets west

We got back to ship safely

Nap cocktails dinner show sleep

Deja vu