Day 4

 We have been going since 9 this morning and it now 10:30. Our day has been so full! We did get to see so many amazing things though! We started the day off at the Dolmabache Palace, then we went to the Asian side of Istanbul, and then we took a cruise of the Bosphorus River.
 The Dolmabache palace is located on the European side of Istanbul right on the river. It is one of the most gorgeous palaces I have ever seen, second only to Versailles. The Palace is actually modeled after Versailles. Dolmabache was the home of the Sultans after Topkapi (which I saw yesterday) and much more European in it style. Unfortunately pictures are not allowed inside of Dolmabache so I only have pictures of the outside. I bought tons of postcards of the inside though to show everyone when I get home!

 The front

The view from the river

 The ballroom inside is the biggest and most beautiful room I have ever been in. The chandelier in the middle of the room is the biggest crystal chandelier of its kind in the world. The ceilings were painted gorgeously, showing several different scenes. I do not know if I will ever see anything more grand in my life.
 After Dolmabache we took a short ferry ride to the Asian side of Turkey. We had an amazing lunch (which I was finally able to eat!) After lunch we went up the mountain to an amazing view point. It is the best view of Istanbul and it really helps you to grasp how large of a city it is. It is the largest city, land wise, in the whole world. When you look at it from up above it really does seem to go on forever.

We took a tour of the Bosphorus River.Along the riverside there are many palaces and mansions. There are many apartment buildings where the starting cost of a room is 5 million dollars. It was really just a nice break to sit back and enjoy the view of Istanbul from the river.

 An old estate turned into a hotel

 One interesting thing I have learned about Istanbul is that they had the original tulip. Tulips were so valuable in Istanbul that they were worth the same as a house. They were more valuable then any type of gold or silver. Tulips used to be 10 times the size they are now, but with all of the experiments done on them they have reduced in size. So the Turks gave a tulip bulb to the Queen of the Netherlands, a couple hundred years ago. The Queen thought it was an onion so she cooked it. Tulips are not meant to be eaten so obviously it was disgusting and it was thrown out into the yard, where it blossomed into the tulip. Now Holland is the biggest producer of tulips and that is what they are famous for. Right now Istanbul is having its giant tulip festival and the flowers are all over the place! I have never seen so many different types of tulips.

Well now it is off to bed! Everyone gets to sleep in tomorrow... except for me because I have to catch up on all of the things I missed Monday! After that it is shopping at the Grand Bazaar and then a Turkish Bath!