Day 1  - Istanbul (L,D) 

Istanbul, the Capital of the Ottoman Empire, as from the Conquest of 1453 to the announcement of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. After meeting at the Airport,we set off on a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. We will start off with a visit to the renowned Sultanahmet Mosque, known popularly as The Blue Mosque, an incredibly beautiful house of worship known for its blue Iznık (Nicaean) tiles and unique for the fact that it has six minarets. We continue on to the Hippodrome, once the vast arena that functioned as the heart of sporting (chariots races and athletics) events and politicalactivities of the old city.  From here we go to the nearby Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom.

Ranking as one of the greatest marvels of world architecture, this awe-inspiring building was constucted as a basilica in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Just a short walk across the square takes us to the Underground Cistern, the largest of the many underground cisterns built during the Byzantine Empire to supply the city with water. This cistern is especially fascinating because the Byzantine builders recycled many stone structures—capital heads and columns-- that had been used in earlier temples.

Now an upside down Medusa stares out at us from her watery home. After lunch we continue our tour with a visit to the Topkapi Palace. This visit to the imperial palace of the Ottoman Sultans will include tours of the imperial treasury, the Chinese porcelain section, the calligraphy section and many more. We will also visit the optional Jewelry Collection segment of the palace. The tour will end with the visit to the Grand Bazaar, the vast and legendary covered market that is the biggest souk in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry, and carpets. We will spend our night in the hotel and breakfast there the next morning.