Here is a photo across the water towards the Galata tower.

Here is the second offender again just for Pod.

Pod this photo is just for you. The offender is one of two friendly white cats that were in close proximity to the restuarant where we regularly ate and the hotel where we stayed.

This Roman acqueduct built by Emporer Valens has multiple lanes of traffic passing through it. We saw it during afternoon peak hour.

This is a picture of the Blue mosque. It overshaddows its neighbour the Haj Sophia - built with this purpose in mind. To my mind having seen mosques in Damascus and Aleppo both built in the 8th Century the Blue mosque is not as impressive on the inside despite the enormous pillars.

This is another view from our breakfast table this time of the Haj Sophia. Before the building of St Peters in Rome it was the largest ever Church. Obviously it became a mosque after the fall to the Muslims - the towers are a give away. Wonderful breakfast and not a bad view.

Goodbye Goreme hello Istanbul. This is the view from our very nice hotel right next door to the Haj Sophia and Blue Mosque.

This is a picture of downtown Goreme 30 seconds walk from our accomodation.

You see some weird stuff in your travels. This is a cross between a beatle and a khombi.

This is the view part the way up the same hill that you saw Martine at the top of in the previous photo. It didn't involve any rock climbing despite what this may look like.

Martine standing next to the same flagpole scarcely visable in the previous photo - quite a climb.

This is the view of a spot known as Uchisar. On the left around the middle is a tiny little flag pole with a Turkish flag flying from it. Check the same flagpole in the next picture.

Here are some of the Fairy Chimney houses for which Cappadocia is known. The houses were built inside these strange geological structures.

Inside one of the truly amazing churches near Goreme. The most amazing the dark chapel you couldn't take pictures in for the purpose of protecting it but we picked up a book.

This photo is taken from one of the vantage points near the park in Goreme where there are many very early churches located.

This is the view that we were greeted with on our arrival - pity we arrived at around 2.00 am after a very long day. Fortunately there was a taxi waiting for us at Neveshir and we were able to wake the man at the hotel (who knew we were arriving at this hour). The place is Goreme and is in central Turkey.

The friendly staff mqde the very long bus trip (9 hours) tolerable even if the staff could scarcely speak a word of English - it seemed like we were just getting used to Arabic and then we changed. This guy was really taken with the Akubra so much so that he wanted his photo taken in it.

This is the view from where we were dropped off in a service Taxi in Antakya, Turkey. There had been a delay at the Syrian Border as there computers were down - lots of red faced Syrian customs officials. From here we caught our bus. It seemed in this part of Turkey hardly anyone spoke English - much worse than Syria.

This picture is taken from where we grabbed a drink in Aleppo. I am not sure whether or not it is in Christian quarter (the churches are not far away) but then again Aleppo did not appear ultra conservative.

Inside the same church.

This is the monument to the Armenian massacre which took place in modern day Turkey. The massacre if accounts on the web are to believed began on 24 April 1915, the very day before the landings at Anzac Cove. The Armenians were marched to camps in Syria where they have been ever since. This pretty little Armenian church which was built in the 16th Century was there long before that. The picture is again from Aleppo.

Here is a picture of Aleppo the second biggest city in Syria. The picture is taken from the Citadel and looks out over much of the old city.

This is a photo of the outside of the same mosque in Aleppo from a spot where we grabbed a coffee.

The inside of the Aleppo mosque (I can't remember the name). It was built around 700AD.

The entry to the Aleppo Citadel. To get into the heart of the citadel you need to go through a large range of twists and turns each covered by vantage points where arrows could be fired.

A pic of the Aleppo Citadel. The entry to this place is very impressive although most of the interior is in ruins. Aleppo is in Northern Syria.

Beehive houses near Hama in Syria. People still use these. I didn't want to intrude too much and take pictures of them.

Saladins Citadel. A beautiful spot but a poor location for a castle. Unlike Craq des Chevaliers this was only held for two days before Saladin and his armies breached the walls.

Afamea still in Syria and another truly amazing site. The columns go for over a kilometre. You can see the wheel ruts from chariots in the paving stones.

An overall view of Craq des Chevaliers - a truly magnificent crusader castle.

The outer wall of Craq des Chevaliers.

This is what attackers would have been faced with after getting past the arrows, boiling oil etc at the outer wall and crossing the moat. This is Craq des Chevaliers possibly the most impressive crusader castle still standing. It survived in Christian hands for 80 years after the last crusade and was the christian outpost in the middle east.

Masyaf a pretty awesome castle in Syria from the crusader period.

This gives a better view of the original reason for the water wheels. See the roman or roman style aqueduct behind the wheel - another of the water wheels in Hama.

Here is a photo of one of Hama's waterwheels. These wooden wheels make an amazing groaning sound and have been in Hama since Roman times. These ones were made about 1000 years ago although of course the wood is replaced piece by piece over time so there is certainly no timber that old in it. For a very conservative city Hama is both friendly and very pretty.

Another view of the citadel at Palmyra. We didn't get to go in - if we had more time we would have been able to enter but we were off to Hama (also in Syria) which will be the subject of the next few posts.

Here is a photo of the citadel from where the photo in the last post was taken from. Imagine trying to attack this spot with a group of knights.

Here is a picture of the overall site of Palmyra although I could not fit all of it in the one shot. The tombs of which there are an enormous number are out of picture to the right together with various other items.

Here is a photo of Martine standing beside one of the columns to give some sense of scale. This is still inside the former temple.

Here is another view of the same thing.

Here is a photo of one of the remaining walls of the large temple that I mentioned in the last post together with some of the columns.

Here is a picture inside (yes inside) one of the temples at Palmrya.

Here is the main arch at Palymra. It was used to disguise a bend in the road which is very unusual if not unique for Roman cities.

Another photo of Palmyra this time just after sunset.

Here is another photo of some of the ruins at sunset - Palmrya again.

Another photo of Palmrya at sunset. This one over looks some of the Roman tombs.

Sunset at Palmyra (Syria). Palmyra is a former Roman city.

I love this shot. A picture of a Mosque and a Church side by side in the old city of Damascus.

Here is picture of part of the old city of Damascus.

Here is a photo of a house in the old city of Damascus showing how it is constructed. Timber with mud in between. The house is under restoration.