Our explorations have shown that Athens is a modern, urban sprawl of concrete and traffic, a city where the east and west meet in markets, cafes and tavernas and all either built upon ancient ruins or rubbing shoulders with marble-pillared Classical buildings and Byzantine churches. Today our mission was first of all to ascend the …
Today we explored the port of Athens in the suburb of Piraeus. During medieval times the port was known as Porto Leone in tribute to a 3 metre high ancient marble lion. In 1688 the Venetians stole it and relocated it to Venice. Apparently the city council is now negotiating its return. Today the port is …
This morning we boarded an open top double decker bus to tour the whole of the city. It is a hop on, hop off service which enables one to see the sights at one’s leisure. Starting from the Parliament Buildings our tour took us past the Panatheniac Stadium. This is on the site of an …
Day 1 We flew from Manchester as the sun was rising and landed at lunchtime from a clear blue Athens sky and a temperature of 27 degrees C. Our hotel is close to Syntagma Square. So following a rapid unpack we explored the Square, which is the centre of modern Athens. It is surrounded by …
Our morning started with an exploration of the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) which was founded in 1461 by Sultan Mehmet II. The bazaar was designed as the trading heart of an empire and today is still piled with carpets, jewellery and spices. When first built it had travellers accommodation, a bath house, mosques and school …
For most of the day we have been on board a ferry that enabled us to journey from the Golden Horn, through the Bosphorus to just short of the Black Sea. Many people think that this is the best way to see Istanbul because you get a different perspective on the city, the skylines and …
Today we explored the Sultanahmet quarter. Our hotel is a stones throw from the Blue Mosque which dominates this part of the quarter. It was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I and he want to surpass the size and beauty of the nearby Haghia Sophia. The work was completed in 1616 and has become one …