Elf's Adventures: If I turn to stone, I am not sure where I want to be set and I made it across to Asia last night!

This mail has been typed over two mornings....

I am almost on a boat for a cruise heading up towards the Black Sea. Sitting in the reception of the hotel and waiting for the bus to take us to the ferry that will take us around the Bosphorus Straights and for a walk around an area called Eminonu around the old city walls. Then tomorrow I am up early, 6h30 in reception for the bus that takes us up to the ancient ruins of Espherus. Will be a long day, as I will only return by 11pm but Sharl highly recommended it.

This morning I was at the breakfast room at 8am all showered and ready for the day and I was the second tourist there. A pair of amazing ladies from Finland were there first. They also happened to be at the stunning Doy Doy last night. It is rather humorous as we seem to be going on the boat cruise together as well. Our routes seem pretty intertwined, I guess this is the case when you are staying in the main tourists area and have checked in around about the same time. The older lady reminds me a lot of Janet, Mum's estate agent buddy. This lady truly has spunk with funky hair and a beaming smile. The other lady is a bit younger, reminds me a lot of Shelley Seid but both seem quiet and very good mates, and it seems they travel together often.

This mornings adventures, after yet another interesting Turkish breakfast took me on the must see according to Sharl. Having discovered where the Cistern was last night, I headed straight for it this morning... Or so I thought. On my walk up the hill I stopped to take a pic of the Ayasofia during the day and was approached by a little Turkish man, before I knew it he was guiding me towards his shop that was close to the Cistern.

As I walked in I was presented with Apple tea and made a fuss of. I was introduced to his son Ramadan, and then shown thousands of leather jackets... According to Turkish tradition, the first customer through the doors sets the trend for the day. Such a pity for them I had a closed mind (a line Ramadan used) we haggled a bit and then after my second cup of tea I insisted that all I actually wanted to do was go sight seeing and would think about it and perhaps come back. After half an hour of a whirlwind leather jacket fashion show, I was off. Back on track with my mission.

The cisterns built in Roman times had the capacity of 100,000 litres of drinkable water. The columns were built out of marble and there were 12 rows of them. All of them had subtle lighting from the base which just made it all the more fascinating. On two of the columns they had carved into the stone the head of Medusa. One with her upside down and the other of her on her side. Now if you looked directly into her eyes apparently you turned into stone. I did one worse than that. As she was right on the waterline and the platform where we walked on stepped down, I lent down and felt the water right in front of her.. So far so good, haven't turned to stone yet!

I managed to go into the Blue Mosque which was huge and utterly amazing. They kick all the tourists out for prayer time so I didn't have a lot of time there but I think I featured in about a million slant eye's photographs and also kindly was the photographer for a German couple.

Next stop was the Topkapi Palace which was filled with kids. I felt like I was in China walking along the promenade where all the teenagers stop you to say hello and tell you that they learn their English watching MTV. Similar experience, eventually I selected the parts of the palace that was kid free and stuck to that. Oddly enough, I wasn't the only one with this thinking...

From here I dashed back to the hotel, collected Helen's battery that had been charging and went and waited for the bus that would take us to the river for cruise. While waiting the two Finnish ladies came down. This was when I had a debate as to if I was stalking them or they were stalking me... Jury is still out on that one! It turns out that the spikey hair Janet (Maija) is a painter and graphic design artist and the bubbly Shelley Seid (Eva) is a potter.

The bus took us around the Golden Horn that had the ancient city walls around. Getting off the bus, we walked through the spice bazaar and I was kindly offered by an enthusiastic shop keeper that he could help me spend my money, to which I chuckled and gave him a smile a thumbs up and continued walking. Out group also went into another mosque which according to our guide was even more impressive than the Blue Mosque, just not as big... Tiny in actual fact. Then we went on an underground bypass filled with shops selling shoes, leather jackets and more spices and our group came up near the ferry terminal.

We were whisked away up the straights along the Asian and then European side of Istanbul on a large ferry. A fact that was pointed out by Finland Shelley Seid (Eva). The Finnish ladies today (Thursday) are really keen just to go across to Asia for the day for the grand total of 2 Turkish Lira-one Euro or eight bucks to go to another continent. In all my planning to get across to the basketball, this fact hadn't entered my mind. Kodikoy was on the Asian continent. On the cruise we also had two blokes from Holland, a chef and a biology major, a husband and wife team-interesting couple. He lives in Egypt and she lives in Minnesota but they have all their holidays together. She was telling Finland's Shelley Seid (Eva) that they love each other very much but she wanted a change and he didn't so she having lived in the USA when she escaped from Lebanon wanted to go back there. So she did, and this arrangement seems to work for them.

Lining the straights were some spectacular buildings, seriously! Our guide said it was old money who lived here. He said they keep the properties in the family as best as they could. If a property does sell it could fetch about 50 million USD. Not sure I am in the market for that either.

In Istanbul there are apparently 130 churches and 3000 mosques and this was evident with the number of domes rising up from the cityscapes.

After the cruise we all went back to our hotels, I dashed back with the mission of getting my head around as to how to get to the game. I packed my bags and I headed off. I caught a taxi from outside the hotel to the ferry docks. I jumped out and then had to work out how on earth to get a token, I was helped by a lovely man when he realised I was at the wrong machine and he explained what I had to do. I then was sitting on a ferry surrounded by workers on their way home. When we docked I hailed a taxi and presented him with the directions and off we set. Ten minutes later after speeding through the streets of Kodikoy, I was spat out at what looked to be an impressive stadium, with tennis courts off to the side. A very Kings Park feel.

I went inside and met a security guard who could speak a bit of English and was informed, no no, no game tonight... At that point I wasn't sure how to react. I kept insisting that on the internet, it said-game 19 Jan and he kept saying no game-game only on 27 Jan. I was shattered, even calling up the game schedule on my blackberry. I asked if there was an office, a manager-anyone to prove I was right. Still he said no game and I had to agree as there was nothing happening besides some building alterations. Then his mate said something and all of a sudden he was saying basketball, not football. I nodded thinking that was the first thing I had asked him and he dashed off to his desk, phoned a few people and then he came back saying yes, game at 8o'clock but at other stadium. He typed the name of the stadium on my phone and then I was back on the street hailing a cab.

An hour after leaving the hotel I was in Asia, at the second stadium and standing in a queue waiting to head in. Surrounded by only men all making a lot of noise.

The game was very fast paced and hugely physical with lots of tugging for the ball. The home side didn't let UMMC settle at all. They were constantly forcing them to make elementary mistakes, of which there were loads. This was not the team that I had watched in Sopron. Their confidence and composure just didn't make a show at all. But I have to give it to UMMC, they never gave up. The game finished off as a close contest but the home side stamped their authority with the win.

The crowds were amazing, completely different to Sopron but yet the same. I happened to sit in the season ticket seats and sat next to a lovley gentleman who could speak English. After deciding I was in the wrong seat he said I must stay, if the owners of the seats come, I could sit on his other side as that man was sitting over in the posh seats. I stayed and have to say, I was fortunate enough to be right on the half way line.

After the game, I headed straight back and made it home easily. I didn't have to wait long to catch the ferry and taxis were not a problem at all. After packing and charging batteries I eventually got some sleep but not a lot.

I woke up before the alarm and was dressed and ready to go for my day trip to the ruins. So here I am, on a bus to somewhere. Surrounded by australians. The moon was still up at 6h30 when we were on the road. Looks like it is going to be an overcast day. The temp reading on the bus says it is 19 but I am sitting here with beanie, jacket, jersey and scarf so think that is a bit wrong... sun has come out, so gonna wipe all the condensation and see some of the countryside. Gonna be a fab last full day in Istanbul :)

Hugs from pooh bear and a wrapped up sophie :)