Second Day of Touring was Intense but a Little More Relaxed.....

.....and started with a morning visit to the Topkapi Palace--a huge royal palace for the sultans during the Ottoman Empire.  The sprawling complex was a city within a city.  A small garrison of fifty soldiers represents the Ottoman army which was officially disbanded after WWI.  Never actually decommissioned, the small garrison is the last remaining vestige of the Ottoman Empire in modern-day Turkey.  Basically, a symbolic gesture, they are an elite force for ceremonies, much like the guards at Arlington National Cemetery or Buckingham Palace.

Inside the palace walls were, of course fortifications and a military garrison, but also the Sultan's quarters and harem complex.

We briefly got a little sunshine, and the weather has been the only downside to the trip.  It is cold, overcast, occasional rain and very windy.

From the Palace, we went to the old Oriental Spice Market.  It was spices, after all, that brought the European traders and armies to this part of the world in the first place.

I found this to be much more interesting than the Bazaar.  It was virtually a display of color:

From the Spice Market, we did an afternoon boat cruise of the Bosporus Strait.  While it was interesting, most of us were so tired, we napped through much of it.

From there, it was off the the race expo to pick up our marathon race packets.