From Istanbul

 Istanbul is one of the most interesting ports in the world. A skyline of buildings from many generations and cultures and many craft of all sizes and shapes on the water.

Overnight in Istanbul meant pizza on Deck 11 to take in the views. Which was very brave, considering the low temperature.

The new cruise terminal in Istanbul is enormous. Beneath it is a huge vehicle area for cars, buses and deliveries. The signs said it was 3 minutes walk to the Silver Moon but they did not change for several minutes and the walk was rather longer.

The excursion was to the Dolmabahce Palace, which was built in the nineteenth century in European style. It is extremely opulent, even by the standards of British royal palaces. It was a Sultan’s palace but its claim to fame is that it was the death place of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Not a great day for TSH, who was not allowed take pictures inside the buildings, because it rained quite hard for a while and he still does not have his long water-proof coat.

A conversation with Silversea London revealed that the 40+ bags involved have now been located and removed from their container in Koln. However, the normal next stop would be in Paris, where there is currently a strike, so that might not be such a good idea. But TSH was assured that the bags were on the move. 24 hours later, the tracking system shows his bag still in Koln, with no projected delivery date.