We started today with possibly the best spread we have had for breakfast so far on our trip - Empress Theodora for a great breakfast folks :-) - sadly tomorrow's early start means we will miss out on brekkie :-( Anyway, mindful of the next two weeks being an organised tour and wishing to minimise our luggage we resorted to collecting all we didn't think we'd need and filling one of our suitcases. This we then wheeled a few hundred meters up the hill to the Golden Horn hotel where we were booked to stay in two weeks time and stored it in their left luggage. The two week tour was one that we had joined as a result of meeting the Australian director of the Australian Intercultural Society at a friend's house for lunch one day. The aim of this organisation is to foster harmonious relations between differing cultures and the basis for this is derived from the teachings of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. The remainder of the morning was taken up with shopping for clothes and walking long distances in pursuit of same. We had mixed success with Sue happily snaring several pairs of three quarter pants and some tops whereas I still haven't found a decent, well fitting pair of shorts. By now it was after lunch and we had arranged to meet our tour leader Ahmet at a local cafe, which we did and also downed a small meal. Also coming along shortly afterwards were other members of our party whom we were meeting for the first time in most cases. In total we came to 8 including Ahmet and this comprised three couples, a gentleman on his own and Ahmet. Over the course of the afternoon and later at dinner in a local kofte restaurant we introduced ourselves and got to know a little about each other. Among our company were a senior Victoria Police officer and his wife, a Sales Manager for a construction company and his wife (due to arrive tomorrow), a lawyer, Ahmet and of course Sue and myself. In the morning we are to fly to Kayseri in the center of Turkey to start the tour proper.
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