Istanbul to Sardis

We had a busy day! We stopped at Topkapl Palace on our way to the airport. It served as the
residence of the Ottoman Dynasty for over 400 years. We were excited to see the staff of
Moses, the turban of Joseph, the sword of David and a box containing the bones of John the
Baptist. In addition, we viewed one of the largest diamonds in the world at 87 carats and the
bejeweled dagger, both of which were featured in the 1960's movie "Topkapl". There were four
enormous kitchens with gigantic pots and pans used to feed the 2000 inhabitants of the palace.
Other interesting rooms within the palace featured clocks, weapons as well as the palace
residence.

We then flew from Istanbul to Izmir were we boarded a bus to Sardis on the Red River where
King Midas washed away his golden touch. Sardis is the site of the excavated Roman city
complete with shops, a synagogue, baths, an athletic field and the Imperial Court.
The next site was the first Temple of Artemis and Zeus which included a Christian Church. Our
afternoon was rainy but as we left Artemis a beautiful rainbow appeared.

Linda Guest