Greece 2012 #6: Mystra and Menelaoin
The morning we left Sparti we visited the stunning, Frankish, hilltop monastic settlement, Mystra. The Byzantine architecture fit beautifully into the rocky landscape. It was also a peaceful place and…
Tag: city breaks
Greece 2012 #2
The study tour section of the trip started in earnest at half eight on Tuesday morning after our dishevelled group staggered down from breakfast, such as it was. I was…
An Archaeology Tour of Greece (2012) #1
I’ve wanted to go to Athens and see the Acropolis since I was eleven and my drama teacher started us on Greek tragedies. So when a university study trip of ten…
Istanbul (2012) #4: Turkish Art and the Spice Bazaar
Down the side of Sultanahmet mosque is a square with Egyptian obelisks brought to then Constantinople by the Romans and the Serpent Column of Greece which once stood as a Pan-Hellenic monument…
Istanbul (2012) #3: Topkapi Palace and its Harem
Topkapi Palace closes early in the mid-afternoon and fills up fast so if you want to see Istanbul’s most iconic Ottoman palace before the crowds at the gates become unbearable…
Istanbul (2012) #2: Blue Mosque, Chi Kofta and crossing to Asia
Istanbul has a wonderfully organised public transport system where with just one card, the Metro Card, you can take the tram, ferries, buses and metro. You can top it up…
Istanbul (2012) #1 Solid History
We froze, forks halfway to our mouths and halted our conversation as the sundown prayers were called out in song through the city evening. The restaurant, a tourist favourite, kept…
Naturally Orla 