After a good flight from Chicago with a stopover in New York we arrived at Ataturk International in Istanbul. We paid $45 each for our Turkish visas and received a neat sticker in our passports. Neil and I quickly located an ATM at the airport to withdraw 200 million Turkish lira – we were millionaires! We exited the airport and caught a taxi to our hotel – The Ayasofya – where we would meet our tour group later that day. 

We had the day to explore Istanbul on our own before meeting our group and guide around 5:00.

We walked to the Hippodrome and then onto Topkapi Palace. I felt very comfortable and safe in Istanbul from the start.  We toured the Harem apartments at Topkapi with their beautiful tiles. At the Palace we talked with some of the school children. They were very friendly and would say "hello" and smile, they looked cute in their uniforms. Some even had the Turkish flag sewn on the collar. One little boy repeated my "See you later," to the amusement of his friends. We found the children in Turkey to be very friendly and happy and always ready to pose for a picture.

After a tour and explanation of the Mosque, we gathered in a circle and played the name game, which helped us learn each other’s names quite quickly. We also picked a buddy, so no one would ever be forgotten or left behind. We walked a few blocks to a restaurant where we ate outside and learned a little about each other, where we were from, what we did for a living, our families, etc. It was interesting to find out about each other's travel history too, since we're always looking for a new place to explore. After dinner, some headed back to the hotel while others decided to walk around the flood lit Blue Mosque and Hippodrome.