Bye Bye Istanbul

Sunday night is being spent in Amsterdam,  or to be exact Hoofddorp, a suburb adjacent to the airport.
  A dreary night awaited us when we arrived from Istanbul, and from weather reports, that is also what we can expect for the next few days.
 We wrapped up the last couple of days in Istanbul with a Saturday morning visit to Topkapi Palace where I finally managed to see the section dedicated to the Holy Relics of the Prophet Muhammad. Under renovations on my last visit and blocked by massive queues of Muslims due to Ramadan in 2006, this was a case of 3rd time lucky. Worth the wait? I think so- where else are you going to see the Staff of Moses and the Sword of King David and bits of Muhammad's beard ( OK, Other than Ripley's Museum at Niagara Falls!)
  True to form, the kitchens were closed on this visit.I dont think the palace is ever FULLY open to the public. At least the Harem was open but sadly there weren't any taste tests being offered!
 An afternoon visit to the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora (known locally as the Kariye Camii or Kariye Museum) proved to be a bit of a letdown. Firstly it was a challenge to get to, in terms of public transport ( two lengthy tram rides from the city centre, and then, upon arrival, actually finding locals who could give accurate directions. ( I stopped 8 people before I got the right directions!  Our efforts eventually brought us to a small Byzantine church, ( circa 450 AD) its interior decorated with various religious frescoes, many damaged. While written up as a must see in various guides and extremely hyped in TripAdvisor, it proved to be somewhat diappointing. Having seen other examples of frescoed churches in other parts of Turkey and also Greece this one paled in comparison.
 The one part of the trip that was a big plus was a $3 lunch at a local "Bufe". A great tasting chicken wrap and a coke that would have cost at least 3 times the price down town.
   Saturday's final museum stop was at the Mevlani Galata museum , just north of the Galata tower in the Beyoglu suburb. A small museum dedicated to the founding of the Suffi order known as Whirling Dervishes, (apparently founded by the Poet Rumi a.k.a.Mevlana)  Essentially an order of devout Muslims living a life of extreme poverty. The Whirling Dance they are known for is part of a religious ceremony known as the Sema or Sama. The order was outlawed when Turkey became a republic in 1923 but secret lodges continued and the order is now recognized again, although primarily as a tourist attraction. As a religious order, the Mevlavi, as they are also known, are still more or less banned.
  Sunday was more or less spent doing not too much. A quick visit to the Museum of Islamic Arts and Science-complete with 1000 year old surgical instruments, lunch of pide, (Turkish pizza) and a couple of stops for souvenirs marked the end of what might be my last visit to Turkey for a while.
 Hopefully the war in Syria will end at some point soon, thus making travel to south east Turkey a little easier and safer. Maybe once that happens I can start to plan the Istanbul to Alexandria voyage that is pretty close to the top of my ( damn I hate that term!) Bucket List.
 Tomorrow we finish off this trip with a train trip to and two days exploring in Bruges (or Brugg) Belgium.