The first time I saw the London Bridge it was in Arizona, for real. Purchased by a man that moved it to Lake Havasu. We crossed the new one on the hop-on-hop-off bus tour of London. It turns our the next bridge over, Tower Bridge is the more recognized ornate turreted bridge.

London has so much history and so much to see. Our one day stop over couldn’tdo it justice. I won’t rehash all that is iconic about London but rather share my impression of this beautiful city with a very long history.

There are spacious green parks which are in their late April glory of spring . There is an easy way about dinning out, not many cell phones, lingering over a pint or dinner, and lots of conversation with seemly family, friends or colleagues.

We experienced what I consider the vital elements of any city; mass transportation, grocery shopping and eating/drinking out in a non-tourist area that have been established since the 1800’s.

Thre Underground, commonly known as the “Tube” or the subway (which I understand to be more above ground than below) is very efficient and easy to use; no need to buy a ticket your chipped credit or bank card will do.

The restaurants, pubs and other public spaces, didn’t ever feel like tourism was the focus but a the same time we loved being there as tourists. We enjoyed our time eating, drinking and sightseeing even with the lingering effects of Covid.

Ephesus is an excavated ancient harbour city founded in 10th century BC on the Aegean Sea. It was one of the largest and most important Greek cities. It is now located in western Turkey about an hour south of Izmir (5 hours south of Istanbul).

This area has remains of human habitation as far back as 6000 BC. It’s a city that was rebuilt at least twice and finally abandoned when the river flowing into the Aegean Sea silted in. Today the excavated site (much more to excavate) sits about 5 miles from the coast.

Throughout history Ephesus has been concurred and changed hands many times. In addition to it’s Greek history it is also known as the place where St Paul and St John were and the Gospel of John was likely written. Ephesus is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Some sources have Cleopatra and Mark Anthony being here as well as Alexander the Great. Cleopatra’s half sister Cleopatra, Arsinoe was exiled to Epheseus and executed there (beheaded according to sources).

Not far from the cities ruin is the House of the Virgin Mary. Where Mary lived out her life. Also the ruins of Temple of Artemis are nearby, where major religions came together. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Anicient World, the first temple to be built entirely of marble and one of the largest Greek temples ever built. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice, each time bigger. Not much remains today.

Istanbul has nearly 4,000 mosques with the country of Turkey having over 82,000. So domes are a dominant architectural feature for that reason alone.

We visited The Hagia Sophia, which means “holy wisdom,” was originally built as a cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the sixth century A.D. Over time it has been used as a mosque and and a museum. Currently it is used as mosque with hopes that it will be reverted to a museum.

Other domed views from outside and inside.

In Istanbul we stayed in the area known as Old Europe which is where the Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and Blue Masque are all located; it’s where the tourists stay and it is wonderful!

As we looked over our tiny balcony and walked the streets the colors and sounds are what stood out. Mostly reds with blues, yellows and greens in the fabric, outside restaurant lights, shop windows and everything. The sounds are of store keepers enticing people in, ice cream shops, music (some traditional mideastern but lots of rock remakes), restaurant waiters entertaining and people talking.

Pictures don’t even co.e close to capturing the colors and some how I don’t have aidio of the sounds. Many of these photos are of the market stalls and othe are sites on the street.

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The city of Istanbul, Turkey straddles the Bosphorus Straight which divides the continents of Europe and Asia. Therefore you can be in one city and easily travel between the two continents by water or bridges.

The European side is separated by the Golden Horn estuary which runs between the areas known as Old Europe and New Europe. The three distinct areas of Istanbul each have their own unique feel.

We stayed in Old Europe the area known for the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar; just to name a few of the amazing historical venues. Old Europe has the feel of Europe with hints of Asia. The architecture feels European and then you’ll see a fruit cart or alley way looks very Asian.

New Europe feels more businesslike and where cultures have come together to shop and do business in the many Hans which are shops on the ground level and offices on the levels above. The Hans are known by the ethnic groups they represent.

The Asia side is bustling with traffic and markets. The feel is compact but with beautiful individual homes along the water.

With all the rich and ancient sites in Istanbul it’s easy to think that it’s not a modern city but this next photo shows differently.