Turkey Istanbul Turkey used to be called Constantinople and across the Bosporus River was Chalcedon. South a ways is Nicaea and Ephesus. The first Eight Ecemenical Councils took place here. Six of them in the Istanbul area. If Christianity was born in Israel, it grew up in the area of modern-day Turkey.
We started our day by approaching Istanbul through the Marmara Sea with the stunning view of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia looming over us on the left. The Hagia Sophia is now a mosque, but for 1000 years (500-1500) it was the largest church in the world and probably the most beautiful.
We toured through the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) which is bittersweet, seeing a shadow of its former Christian glory, but knowing today it’s a mosque where we have to take off our shoes and the women have their heads covered with Hajibs. Still stunning!
Lunch at our favorite Hamdi’s Restaurant and the everyone cut loose in the exotic Spice Market for over an hour. You have to see and smell it to believe it. Then Mass at St. Anthony of Padua before returning to the ship dinner and free evening. Everything is going beautifully smooth, and everyone’s having a great time.