Day 2- We arrived in Istanbul about 11:00am local time. After going through passport checks we discovered that Lyndsey's luggage was still in NY. It took some time to fill out the correct paperwork and then we went off to find our shuttle to the hotel. We were surprised to see mom's name on a piece of paper when we came out of the airport. Thus began the first adventure of our trip. Our shuttle driver was quite the "expert." This guy was a crazier driver than Sean, and that's saying something! Let's just say blinkers and speed limits are more like suggestions than rules here, or at least to our driver they were. We made it safely to our hotel, the Hotel Nena. It is a charming little place in the heart of the Old City of Istanbul. From the terrace you can see both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia. It is quite a view. You can also hear the call to prayer at 5 different times of the day. They blast it out over a loud speaker so the whole city can know when to stop and pray. It is an interesting experience to say the least. After checking out the views and dropping our belongings in our room, we walked down to the Blue Mosque. There we found out that we can not enter without the appropriate attire so we decided that we would come back tomorrow. We then went over to the Hagia Sofia, but by this time we were all starting to fade. A few hours of sleep were not enough to keep us going today. We decided to go back to the hotel and catch up on some zzz's. While walking the streets of the Old City we learned to be very careful of vehicles. It seems that pedestrians do not have the right of way and no matter how small the ally, a car or scooter will most likely be speeding down toward you. If you're not careful a vehicle will push you off the road. Also, the merchants and restaurant hosts stand in the street and try to talk you into coming into their store/restaurant. Sean decided to become a Spaniard to try and get them to stop talking to us, but discovered that they are much friendlier when they thought we were not American. Sean is now in charge of speaking while we are walking around the City.
