Overnight in Athens

Due to the political situation (northern Cyprus has been occupied by Turkey for almost 40 years), you cannot fly from Turkey to the Greek part of Cyprus, so we had to go via Athens.

Wiwat & Frieze: plaster-casts on left are whiter

We arrived about midday on a Saturday, so by the time we had checked into the hotel and got ready to go out again it was 3pm, and the Acropolis was closing, naturally!  So we went round the new (since the Olympic Games) Acropolis Museum. Turns out going to the museum first and the ruins afterwards is probably the best idea anyway.

The main attraction here is the carved, stone frieze that used to run all the way around the top of the Parthenon.

It's quite something, such as it is.  About half of it is clearly a plaster cast of the original.  I assumed that they had been lost over time, until I released that each one had the initials BM next to it.  Lost they are, to the British Museum courtesy of a chap called Elgin!  I have to say I'd never realised quite how much he'd run off with and I can understand why the Greeks are so upset about it.

A Meal and a Room with a View

A friend (thanks Terrie-Anne) had recommended we stay at the Athens Gate Hotel which is a stone's throw from the Acropolis and has a roof-terrace restaurant with a stonking (and I mean as good as it can get) view of the Parthenon.  I decided to go with the Room and Dinner package so that we could watch sunset over the Parthenon whilst we ate our evening meal.

I have to admit that I was fully prepared for indifferent food, fed to a captive audience of gawking tourists and was very pleasantly surprised by a truly excellent spread.  I cannot recommend this place highly enough, and no, they aren't paying me!

The Parthenon

The view from our balcony was pretty impressive too - the remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

The following morning we got up early to see the Parthenon before we had to leave for the airport.  The Acropolis opens at 8 and much as I hate early mornings, it's a good time to be climbing up, before the day starts to get too hot.  We spent a good 3 hours wandering round and it really is a magnificent sight.

The frieze was at the top, just above the columns

At 11am we were back at the hotel collecting our bags and then on the metro to the airport - 50 minutes, couldn't be easier.

Next stop Cyprus [here].

Istanbul

Truly one of the most amazing places we have visited in a long time.

We arrived in İstanbul late afternoon after a short flight from Dubai.  Jumped in a cab and headed for the old part of the city where Jo and Chris were waiting.  We had hired an apartment for the week and they had arrived a couple of days earlier.

Istanbul roughly divides into 3.  Firstly there is the old city on the eastern (European) side and the younger (only 500 years old) city on the western (Asian) side.  The Bosphorus (a channel connecting the Black and Mediterranean seas lies between).  The European side is further divided by a second channel called the Golden Horn, which historically was Istanbul's main harbour and runs into the Bosphorus.  The south side is the historical centre where most of the famous attractions can be found.  We were staying on the north side which is much more the cultural and entertainment area.  We were about 10 minutes from the main drag (İstiklâl Caddesi) with all its shops and restaurants.

Montage 1: Birthday cake and kebab meal.

Montage 2: The Aya Sofia Museum.

The first evening Chris and Jo had planned a surprise - a late birthday celebration for Paul (whose actual birthday was in January).  Jo had prepared a birthday cake and brought it all the way from the UK in her hand luggage!  Very nice too - lasted all the way to Cyprus.  We then went for kebabs at this fab little shop just down the road from the apartment - the first picture montage shows Paul standing outside it (top-left mini-picture).

We spent the next 5 days playing tourist, visiting all the major attractions and eating at some fabulous cafes and restaurants.

The Aya Sofia - built as a church almost 1500 years ago features one of the largest domes in the world - only surpassed during the Renaissance some 1000 years later.  Turned into a mosque by the Turks in 1453, it became a museum in 1935, thus side-stepping all arguments about whether it should be a church or a mosque.

Montage 3: The Blue Mosque.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (or Blue Mosque) sits opposite the Aya Sofia and has a much lighter, more open feel than it's more solid older cousin.

It's dome, whilst more elegant, is also smaller than the Aya Sofia but still requires very large, thick columns to hold it up - you can see them in two of the Blue Mosque montage images.  They are rudely referred to as the Elephant's Feet.

The dome of the Aya Sophia also required massive columns to support it but these are very cleverly built into the walls so they are not so obvious.

Montage 4: Galata Tower.

Another must-see is the Galata Tower.  built in 1348, it's a very unimposing building from the outside but built at the top of the hill on the north side of the Golden Horn it offers a terrific view across the city in all directions.

Montage 5: Boat Trip on the Bosphorus.

Finally we boarded a boat for a trip up and down the Bosphorus to see Istanbul from the water.  This was the nearest we got to the Asian side of Istanbul, sailing along the west bank of the Bosphorus.  We will have to see that side of the city next time.

Dubai

We are off overseas for 3 weeks visiting Istanbul, Cyprus and Thailand.  When I asked our travel agent if he could book such a trip he said "easy, just go with Emirates".  So here we are overnight in Dubai because of the way our connection worked out.

Dubai is a very modern city, although some older parts remain, built in the edge of the Persian Gulf.  Part of the United Arab Emirates, it is the capital of the Dubai Emirate and the home of Emirates airline.

Having watched Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on the plane (a surprisingly good movie) we knew where to go - to see the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa.  In the movie Tom Cruise spends some time clambering around on the outside of this building (as you do), avoiding near death and so forth.  Remarkably convincing and not recommended viewing if you really do have a fear of heights.

Montage D1: One Night in Dubai.

We stayed at the Park Regis Hotel, very conveniently located near the new metro line.  I regularly stay at the Park Regis in Singapore because it has a good location and is more of a holiday hotel than a business hotel - it even has a pool with a waterfall and a swim up bar.

The Park Regis in Dubai is equally nice with an open-air pool on the roof - but no waterfall!

We got back on the metro and headed off to see the Burj Khalifa.  It is situated next door to a huge shopping mall (The Dubai Mall) , so we were able to get a free bus from the metro to the mall.  We then walked the full length of the mall to get to the far side where there is an artificial lake, with the Burj Khalifa on one side and another tall building on the other.  Fountains in the lake perform a dancing water display to music every hour.  There is also a fake Souk containing small shops and restaurants, so we were able to grab dinner as well.

In the montage D1, the Burj is the tall, pointy building like a pyramid.  The other building (known simply as "The Address") is the one that looks more like a New York skyscraper and is lit up.