See the previous post:
2015 May 9th – 29th …. HOLIDAY OVERSEAS … Istanbul – Venice — Dubai = Overview
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Note: I would like to share with you through these few words, photographs and hyperlinked websites, a 3 Dimensional experience as though you were actually there with us. Click on any photograph and it should enlarge to different size ….. at least half screen or size full screen. It will be clearer in detail than the photo on the post. It will be as if you were really there looking at the actual scene. You are an arm chair traveller with us.
If you would also like to see the post in a larger or smaller size, I suggest you follow this procedure: If you right-handed, with your left hand, press down continuously on the Control Function Key with your left hand and with your right hand, move the little cursor wheel either forwards or backwards to make the text in the post larger or smaller.
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ISTANBUL 10.05.15
When we flew into Istanbul from Australia, it was a 21 hour flight from Brisbane in Queensland. We left on the 8th May, Friday night at 2.00 pm. in the morning!! Fortunately we had a friend of ours, Rob who lived at Morningside (about half an hour away from the Brisbane International Airport) who gladly took us to the Airport two hours before we left (his suggestion!). That meant we were not dependent on the Airport Train getting us there at 10.00 pm. = a 4 hour wait!! We flew straight to Istanbul in Turkey with a stopover in Singapore and Dubai to connect with a small ship with Voyages to Antiquity.
As I said in Post 1, Harriet and I both love history and art. This is not studying things out of books that other people written for you to read and understand but it is really about actually walking through, photographing, sensing and reflecting on what you actually see in unique three dimensional ancient buildings and the art that is part of the building. Then you can then discuss with other tour members of with friends when you get home. With me, I can add posts to personal experiences website, insert selected photos and write appropriate text as now, then send to hundreds friends and associates around the world. I frequently send out our personal experiences photos and then links to the website posts.
We love the real sense of personality in these old buildings and their hand-madeness. This is in contrast to the way buildings are built today with their machine-like qualities: Office buildings are built out of concrete, metal and glass. Houses are built out of bricks shot out of a machine, timber of different sizes and shapes shot out of a machine as well and houses built by efficient machine – like methods to make them as cheap as possible.
When we landed in the Istanbul Airport, we were met by the man with Voyages to Antiquity We were taken to a very large hotel in where we were all staying for two days as part of this trip. The hotel was the InterContinental Istanbul Hotel The hotel is many floors in height. We were given a room way upon the 47th floor. The hotel was in a beautiful area.
Because I get up early every morning, I was outside for two days before breakfast at 8.00am. See the photograhs I took of the Hotel the adjacent park and the general area around the hotel in the next two posts. By 9.00 am we would all assemble in the hotel lobby to be transferred by a colour coordination group theme onto two buses which then took us to different places Istanbul to see Byzantium history and art.
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Note: On this page are many photographs. These can be looked in full screen by placing your cursor over the particular photo which should come up with the option: ‘Ópen link in a new window’. Clinking on this option should bring the photo up to full screen and makes the photograph very clear..
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The Hotel Inside and Outside in the Garden:
The External View of the Hotel:
The Internal View of the Hotel:
The External Garden at the Back of the Hotel:
Because I have come from a long past Landscape Design and Construction business of 20 years in Brisbane, I very conscious of gardens in other countries….. the layout, the plants they have used and the over all affect. See the photos below of the Intercontinental Hotel Garden.
I was out photographing the garden and the gardener asked if I would like a photograph of myself in the garden …. which he then took.
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To see the next post:
Post 2b: ISTANBUL: Day 2= 10th May: InterContinental Istanbul Hotel … The Public Garden Next Door