Merhaba from Istanbul

The Blue Mosque - built in the early 17th Century

That means "hello" in Turkish. I just got to Istanbul today, and thanks to some flight delays, did not get here until it was already dark. One thing that I still find amazing from my previous travels abroad is how widely distributed the TV show "Dallas" was. When I told the taxi driver I was from Texas - he asked "Dallas?" I said, yes (because I thought it would be a little difficult to explain my suburb of North Richland Hills), and he immediately said "OH yes - Bobby! J.R.! Pamela!" I'm so glad that's the vision of Texas that people around the world have.

By the time I got into town, most of the sights were already closed, but I went into the Sultanahmet area, which is the heart of the old city, and took in the Blue Mosque, the Haghia Sofia, and the Topkapi Palace at night. They were all lit up beuatifully and are really stunning to see. As I was walking up, the last call to prayer was taking place and I tried to capture some of it on video. I'm looking forward to seeing them tomorrow, and of course, having some amazing Turkish food. And I will try to make my future posts shorter than my Rome one.