We left St. Petersburg this morning. Our last destination before going to New York is Medina, Morocco. It took around 6 hours. We slept late again and left around noon. All of us had seen so much and heard so much and learned so much before we arrived here in Morocco we really couldn't do it justice. The Four Seasons Hotel was beautiful. The pic has been removed.
all rooms were double occupancy, but Beanie and I would have stayed together anyhow...for protection .haha.
This is our last day abroad. We all slept well here in Morocco and ready for an interesting day.
We saw everything by foot. The streets were narrow. Here is a fellow we saw while walking. To Beanie and me, shopping is shopping whether in Shanghai or Morocco.. We don't shop. So we just tagged along.
We learned that all old Moroccan cities have two aspects:
the Medina (or old town) and the modern city. In the middle of every area was a mosque. The houses are tightly packed together to create a multitude of maze like alleyways.It only takes 7 hours 43 minutes to fly to New York City. Some will spend the day seeing New York. Beanie and I will fly to Memphis and be in our own beds at home tomorrow night. She and I will get together soon and write what we think about this kind of traveling and pass it on to you. For sure we are glad we made this fast trip around the world, I am pretty sure if we had done the same trip "in the flesh" we would feel just as overwhelmed as we do now with all the information thrown at us. But it was good for us...to get out of the house...just sayin' with love, annie and beanie almost home. ****************************************
The flight time from Shanghai to Istanbul, Turkey, took 10 hours and 12 minutes. Everyone was still so tired from Shanghai that we mostly slept in our large 2 by 2 leather seats. When we arrived and saw our hotel in Istanbul, we all agreed it was the best so far.
Beanie and I loved this Four Seasons Hotel...so far our favorite. Our room
Beanie and I thought we would not like Turkey...
As in Shanghai, all the group would stick together here in Turkey. Our first stop was the Hippodrome; The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos ('ιππος), horse, anddromos (δρομος), path or way. Horse racing andchariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic,Roman and Byzantine eras.
As you can tell from the picture it is now more like a park. It has been a very long time since there were Roman and Byzantine games,& Ottomon royal weddings there. procession of the guilds in front of the sultan, at Hippodrome
in front, Serpent colmn,in back Obeliisk of Thutmoses III To raise the image of his new capital, Constantine and his successors, especiallyTheodosius the Great, brought works of art from all over the empire to adorn it. The monuments were set up in the middle of the Hippodrome, the spina.
The base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III showing Emperor Theodosius as he offers alaurel wreath to the victor from the Kathismaat the Hippodrome. THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE THINGS WE SAW AT THE OUTDOOR PARK. The next place was to the Ayasofya Cistern. This was considered to be the greatest church in Christendom. Ayasofya is awe-inspiring—one of the first things to see when you're in Istanbul. Luckily, it's right next toTopkapı Palace, the Blue Mosque and the ByzantineHippodrome, and right across the street from Yerebatan Sarnıçı, the Basilica Cistern. NEXT was the Blue Mosque...close by. c
Beanie and I began to see that we were moving so fast that we couldn't take it all in while there. But I will have my blog pictures as my scrapbook when I get back to Memphis. Next!! Step right up!! TOPKAPI PALACE
Sultan Mehmed II ordered the initial construction around the 1460s before Columbus discovered America!!Dudn't that beat all.
The Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı[1] or in Ottoman Turkish: طوپقپو سرايى) is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.[
As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments.
MOVING RIGHT ALONG!! TO GRAND BAZAAR!!
Beanie and I just looked but some (like the Detroit wives) bought enough stuff to fill up our jet!!??I might as well admit it. I didn't much like those women. haha.
vfashionceramicscarpets and textiles NO WAY TO SHOW IT ALL...BUT INTERESTING!!
NOW....LET'S EAT...AT LAST, AT LAST. We went to a wonderful restaurant, everything on the menu was taken from recipes of the sultans and other historical figures. ASITANE RESTAURANT
v What I got...but we weren't afraid of germs, so we all got something different and shared with each other. I must declare that the food was ALL marvelous...of course the face we were starving helped our appetites. So by sharing we all got a taste of most of the things on the menu.
26. Goose Kebab (1539)27. Savoury Meat Patties (1764) Chicken stewed with apricots “Rezaki” raisins and almonds, flavoured with cinnamon and cloves. Served with Saffron “Pilaf”
28. Lamb Shank with Spinach“Marmarina”(1764) Spinach cooked with onions, eggs and rice, topped with garlic yog
32. Sea Bass “Biryan” (XV. Century) Roasted whole sea bass stuffed with walnuts and spices, served with a saffron and rose water dressing Desserts 33. Pounded Almond “Halva” (1539)
34. “Helatiye”
34. “Zerde’’(XV. Century)
34. Honey and rosewater “Halwa” (1650)
Asitane Review
"Clearly, it was good to be the sultan, if he indeed ate at all like you do when you visit Asitane. From records of meals at Topkapi Palace (sans quantities) and delving into the memoirs of foreign diplomats of the time, the chef of Asitane has succeeded in re-creating 200 palace recipes plus about 200 original Ottoman-style recipes. The etli elma dolmasi (apple stuffed with lean diced lamb, rice, currants, pistachio, and rosemary) still makes my mouth water."
Well, I guess saying we were "full" and worse "stuffed" are not very gracious comments. ...but accurate about how we felt. Then a few went night clubbing..and most of us went back to the Four Seasons Hotel for a needed night of sweet sleep. We would be heading for St. Petersburg the next morning.....will tell you more as Beanie and i know more...actually we are ready to go home..but more travel awaits us. with love, annie ****************************************
We were only in Shanghai one day...a very every minute packed day. Beanie and I weren't all that excited about the prospect of being there. But it was just as exciting as Tokyo. We spent a lot of time with Pete (Dr. Peterson the tour physician) in Tokyo and the six high school teachers from North Dakota. It would be the same in Shanghai except the three couples from Detroit joined us. Beanie and I rolled our eyes toward each other when we saw how nagging those rich wives were. We felt the husbands need a break from them more than a break from the auto industry. Bless their hearts!!
The_____PRIVATE JET TOUR experts who traveled with us were totally in charge. Beanie and I found this somewhat annoying. Before on our pretend trips we did as we pleased! Anyway the first thing we did was to see Shanghai Museum. I confess it was a first class world museum in every way.
Maybe these pictures will give you an idea. There was so much to see. We spent two hours there and didn't touch the surface...a fine museum, indeed!! Then or delux vans took us to PEOPLE'S SQUARE.
Renmin Guangchang (People's Square)
Shanghai's central square was once part of colonial Shanghai's horse-racing track. To the northwest, the building with the curved crucible roof is the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the city's premier venue for international performances, dances, and concerts. Just behind it, though out of view, is the colonial clock tower marking today's Shanghai Art Museum. Directly to your north is Shanghai's City Hall.
eople's Square (Renmin Guang Chang... To the Northwest is the Shanghai Theater. I wished Roy could see it. One of the best theaters in the world. t the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the city's premier venue for international performances, dances, and concerts. Just behind it, though out of view, is the colonial clock tower marking today's Shanghai Art Museum.
We had seen so much museum already, but we ducked into this glass building and found it more than worth seeing. The Shanghai Urban Planning Museum. It has a scaled version of Shanghai of the future. Amazing.
Scaled version of future Shanghai
We went to the roof top restaurant at M on the Bun. All of us ate there. Such a gorgeous view and wonderful food. Our vans had passed Nanjing Lu Pedestrian Mall, the busiest shopping street in Shanghai. After lunch most everyone went to the mall to shop several hours. Beanie and I don't ever shop on our trips, waste of time and energy. We went back to hotel and tried to talk with some of the employees there who spoke a little English. Shopping Mall
Those of us who didn't go shopping met the others in Old Town a few hours later. v vv
Ducks hanging for sale
best sight we saw!!
We heard much of old town is being torn down to make way for more commercial enterprizes. Some want it to be a Disney Land version of old Shanghai. Dudn't that beat all???!!
Then we went to Yuyuan Garden.
v
At 7:30 we all went to an marvelous acrobat show. "Though this screams "tourist" in every way, few visitors are disappointed with their night spent watching the contortionist, juggling, unicycling, and plate-spinning acts of the justifiably world-famous Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe at the Shanghai Center Theatre (Shanghai Shangcheng Juyuan). Performances usually start at 7:30pm and last 90 minutes."
I don't think any of our group went out for dinner...too tired. We ordered light supper sent to our room. I thought about missionaries I know in China who are sort of undercover, to help people who want to leave to get out of the country. Still tired today after such a long day in Shanghai. annie **************************************************
To Beanie and me, shopping is shopping whether in Shanghai or Morocco.. We don't shop. So we just tagged along.
It only takes 7 hours 43 minutes to fly to New York City. 
Our room
Beanie and I thought w
procession of the guilds in front of the sultan, at Hippodrome
v
fashion
ceramics
carpets and textiles
What I got...but we weren't afraid of germs, so we all got something different and shared with each other. I must declare that the food was ALL marvelous...of course the face we were starving helped our appetites.
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
Shopping Mall
Ducks hanging for sale
best sight we saw!!
