Turkey Tour 1 - 15 October

We flew, along with Judith, from Barcelona to Istanbul to start our Insight Turkish Tour, arriving just in time for the evening introduction supper.

The first event for the tour was a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, which divides the Asian side of Turkey from the European side and connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

It was an interesting trip, but after six weeks of beautiful weather, unfortunately it was quite overcast and cool.

The baroque Dolmabahce Palace, 19th Century home of the Ottoman Sultans.

A decorative arch.

At Yenikoy, handsome 19th Century yahs line the waterfront.

A little jetty.

The huge Rumeli Fortress built in 1452 by Sultan Mehmet II.

A traditional Otterman house.

After the cruise left Istanbul and headed south to Iznik, the former capital of the Byzantine Empire. This is the church of Haghia Sophia.

Inside the church of Haghia Sophia. This was the scene of the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church in AD 325 when it was known as Nicea. The meeting produced the famous Nicene Creed, a statement of doctrine on the nature of Christ in relation to God.

That night we stayed in Bursa, the old capital of Turkey.

More sights in Barcelona

Gaudi chimneys at Palau Guell.

We went up the Christopher Columbus Monument for some great views.

The port.

Looking towards the city.

The Placa Mayor.

The old bull ring in the Placa de Espana.

This large, peaceful courtyard was the old hospital. It now seems to be part of the university.

All over Barcelona the buildings have the Catalonian flag of orange and yellow and the independence flag with the star.

The market off La Ramblas is a riot of colour.

Marzipan fruit.

So, now it's adios to Spain and to the ever present jamon. Debbie is going back to USA, Dan is off to walk the Camino and Bill, Joy and Judith are flying to Turkey.

Barcelona 1 - 3 October

We all stayed in an apartment in Barcelona for three days and spent our time wandering, relaxing and washing all our biking clothes and gear to get ready for our next adventure. We had visited the block buster sites on a previous visit to Barcelona, so we headed to some of the places we hadn't see before.
First we took the train, then the cable car, to the hills to see the Monestir de Montserrat. 

This is the Benedictine monastery with 30 monks. It has been Catalunya's most important pilgrimage site for a thousand years.

Montserrat means serrated mountain and you can see why. It is said they were carved by angels with golden saws.

Outside the Basilica. This seems to be the thing to do.

The Neo Renaissance facade of the Basilica features Christ and the Apostles.

The biggest draw card at Monserrat is the 12th Century La Moreneta, the small wooden statue of the Black Virgin above the main alter. Many pilgrims queue up for hours to file past her and touch her orb.

Each day at one the 50 member Escolania, one of the oldest and most renown boy's choirs in Europe, sing. The choir started in the 13th Century.

Part of the Ave Maria Path with hundreds of votive candles.

Joy, Dan and Judith outside the monk's cloisters.

Bill and Dan in the funicular, going even higher up.

Looking down to the monastery.

There are quite a few hiking trails at the top.

Judith hiking the downhill loop back to the Monastery.

On the top of the world.

Another view of the monastery.

Passing a cross situated on a very dramatic point.

Last day on the bike.

On the road again for the last time.

First coffee at Madremanya ahead.

It was another nice old village.

The main aim of today's ride is a visit to the Salvador Dali Castle Museum, the home he created for his wife Gala.

The courtyard of his house.

It is a fascinating place and includes quite a bit of Dali’s work.

A painting of a doorway.

Gala's bed.

The photographer.

You can see straight through this drum table to the floor tiles below.

One of Dali's creatures in the garden.

He had a bit of a thing about Wagner, so the sculptured heads are all of him.

The ride back to Monells was very pretty.

Then we had to enlist our mountain biking skills again for a while.

Monells is another porticoed town.

It's really gorgeous. This is the old market place.

Sadly the biking is all over and it's time for a last lovely meal.