Day #64 - La Rochelle, France

La Rochelle, France

Great sea port

Maritime Museum

La Rochelle, France

Monday, May 17th

Happy Birthday to my nephew Trent!

Today was a unique day on my journey. I took a 7:15am train out of Paris to La Rochelle, France - arriving at 10:20am. My reason for spending the day in La Rochelle - I was attempting to do some research on my ancestry and answer some questions left unknown for some time.

Now, this seems funny to me even as I write this down. How was I planning to do this? I really had no idea even when I got off the train. A straight-on persistent attitude was key - and a little luck along the way wouldn't hurt.

The genealogy tree I was attempting to complete was from the Bauman side, specifically, from my grandma Bauman - who was a Schmerbauch. My aunt and others have traced our descendants back to the early 1700's. My dad grew up in Kaskaskia, Illinois - a place originally descended upon by the french. The link we're missing - how to connect the Illinois clan with the French clan - in a concrete, direct manner.

I've learned some interesting things in preparation for my visit to La Rochelle. My aunt had given me all kinds of reading material. Just a couple quick summary notes:

1810 - 7,267 people living in Kaskaskia

1818 (Dec 3) - Statehood came to Illinois with Kaskaskia as the site of the First Capital City

1844 - Major flood. Waters reached 44.3ft in St. Louis. Covered entire Kaskaskia with over 5 ft of water. Many moved away.

1881 - Another flood. Kaskaskia became an island when the Mississippi River gouged a new channel leading into the Kaskaskia river bed

1918 - Levee built. 14.8 miles long

1973 - Flood. Overtopped the 40ft levee and forced gaping holes. Kaskaskia covered with over 10 ft of water and debris.

1976 - 300 people living on island

1993 (July 22) - Flood breached the new 50ft levee. (record 49.7ft flood level)

2000 - 18 houses standing on island and a few mobile homes.

Growing up along the Mississippi River, I'm definitely familiar with flooding. But, the time line above, puts things into perspective. This shows just how much devastation it can cause and how it affected a community. When I was back in St. Louis, my little niece was saying how she had pictures of Kaskaskia in her history book - learning about the flooding and how it's affected the Mississippi River Valley in the states of Missouri and Illinois. It's interesting to think what's being taught in schools today. I'm sure 9/11 is a topic as well. Who knows - maybe I'll be a teacher in the future - I think I could add some insite to the book content.

Why La Rochelle? In 1741, a bell was sent by King Louis XV of France to the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia (this bell is 11 years older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia). The bell was cast and supposedly shipped from La Rochelle with the inscription in French meaning "For the Church of the Illinois, by gift of the King across the water". Maybe shipping records could provide a link? There was said to be one of our ancestry placed in charge of getting the bell to Kaskaskia. It was a shot in the dark - but it's something.

I got off the train and found the tourist information center. My key to success relied on my ability to communicate effectively - to French speaking people. I met this great lady. She was awesome. She was on the phone calling on my behalf. I was directed to the Archives Department in town. I walked over.

I met more nice people. These guys spoke very little English. But, I had enough documents for them to get the idea. I was directed to this section of 1700 shipping records. There were 2 huge binders - in French. No worries - I was looking for dates and names. Then, if successful, I could have them read it. After scanning - no luck. By this time, I'm asking more people and more questions. I'm brought to the microfilm room. I looked through birth and death records, as well as marriage and baptismal records - still not coming up with much of anything.

By now, I must have looked desparate because people were flurrying around looking up things for me. (I'm starting to really like the French - they seem to care - and it's appreciated). I then got on the internet. They provided me with specific archiving sites. Nothing. After 4 hours of this, I'm about ready to throw in the towel when a lady appears (the "closer"). She walks over to me, doesn't say a word, and extends her hand. We shake hands. She says: "I've heard you may need some information - follow me". I dug this ladies confidence. (stick with me - I'll take you places). She was French Canadian - from Nova Scotia. She proceeded to tell me the 1 nugget of information that might actually open the door. La Rochelle was a port often used for shipping; however, the port you're looking for is most likely Rochefort, France - a smaller town 20km south of La Rochelle. She stated that they have their own archives. Rochefort is the site where colony shipments were sent from. This was the port for the military and noblemen. This would likely have been the port the bell was shipped from if it was a gift from the King. Also, a similar bell had been shipped to Canada near this time from Rochefort. Outstanding!

Only bad thing - it's now 4:30pm. I was given all the phone and email information - as well as new archive sites on the internet to search. We decided it's best to reach out via email to the archive department in Rochefort first. Then potentially schedule a later trip.

As I'll be in Europe for some time - I decided to call it a day. I didn't come away with my answers - but this link could make all the difference. If we had been searching the wrong archives - we may have never found the key.

I can't believe I just wrote all this and my trip didn't equate to results. Some things aren't easy - and a quick answer is not always possible.

By this time, I was wiped out. It's amazing how much mental tiredness can trump physical exhaustion at times. I walked back through town and got a hotel. Sleeping at 9pm. I have a 5:37am train to Geneva, Switzerland tomorrow.

Day #63 - Paris, France

Chateau de Versailles

Chateau de Versailles

Chateau de Versailles

Looking out over Paris from Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Sunday, May 16th

Today was another relaxing day in Paris. I haven't been starting the mornings too early. I rolled out of the hotel around lunchtime. I had a few targets in mind today, but for the most part, I just wanted to walk and see where that took me.

I walked down to the Arc de Triomphe and got on the metro. Strangely, there were alot fewer people on the streets today. I'd say there were about half as many as on Saturday afternoon. A little surprising. I took the metro to one of the 6 main terminal train stations in Paris - Gare Montparnasse. I got my tickets lined out for the next two days.

I'd wanted to take a trip to Versailles, so I inquired about train travel. They said the next train departs in 10 minutes. I said: "Please sign me up" I took the 20 minute ride to Versailles, France. The ride over was weird. I was the only person in this old, beaten-down train. It made about 7 stops before getting to Versailles. I was wondering if I had taken the right train. The ride back was much better - only about 10 minutes on a fast train with no stops and many people.

The big draw to the city of Versailles is the Chateau de Versailles. This is a huge complex. It's where the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28th, 1919 to end WWI. (This treaty was a conflict point that eventually lead Hitler to start WWII.) Versailles was the capital of France from 1682 to 1789. I walked around the complex and took some great photos. It was an excellent picture-taking day. I did not go into the facility for the tour. I chose just to walk around the area.

I spent maybe a couple hours in Versailles and then took the train back into Paris. I then walked around some northern parts of the city I'd never been before. I made it to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. This is a really cool place. It sits up on a huge hill. I had to climb many flights of stairs to make it to the top. It was definitely worth the struggle. Once at the top, you were able to look out over all of Paris. There were many people. I grabbed a seat on the stairsteps just looking out over the city for about 30 minutes. There were a few guys walking around selling Heinekin beers - excellent.

I then walked down to the Hard Rock Cafe and purchased a shot glass. My goal is to collect a shot glass from a Hard Rock on each continent and all the Hard Rocks in the US. I have 5/6 on the continent front (Africa to go, Antartica doesn't have one) and 30/44 collected in the states. If you haven't noticed yet - I like to set many goals. It keeps me motivated and focused. "Contentment is the premonition to failure" This is a quote I like to live by.

I then strolled back to the hotel arriving just shy of 9pm. I have an early 7:15am train out tomorrow to LaRochelle, France. I have a genealogy assignment tomorrow.

Day #62 - Paris, France

The Louvre

Looking back to the Arc de Triomphe near the Louvre

Champs Elysees on a Saturday afternoon

Notre Dame - my dinner spot

The Bastille

Saturday, May 15th

Last night after getting back on the train (10pm), I decided that I would stay the weekend in Paris. If this is going to be my self-proclaimed "Hub-City" - I need to learn the lay of the land. I walked around the train station location to a few hotels - but all were booked. I found a McDonalds and booked a hotel on-line. (Note - McDonalds always has free Wi-Fi - convenient location). I got a taxi to the hotel and crashed.

I woke up about 12 hours later. It was a spectacular sleepy performance - one for the ages. I haven't slept this good since the start of the trip. No worries - whenever I'm extrordinarily tired, I can sleep a long time with no alarm, a quiet room, and perfect temperatures. Ideal conditions last night. I feel fantastic today.

I got out of the hotel early afternoon and just decided to walk. Perfect weather, a little cool, but perfect for walking. My hotel is north of the Arc de Triomphe, so I headed that way. I wanted to see what the Champs Elysees looked like on a Saturday afternoon. People were everywhere. Electric, but yet composed atmosphere. Just like I remember Paris - calm, cool, no-mistakes. I walked down the Champs Elysees toward the Louvre.

I crossed the street to get into the huge courtyard leading up to the Louvre - and something told me to turn around. There's the Eiffel Tower - right where it should be. Awesome! You could see all the way back up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. I meandered around the Louvre taking some pictures. I didn't go in today - maybe tomorrow. I decided to walk along the banks of the Seine River. I continued on until I came to Notre Dame. Free admission on Saturdays. I stood in line a little while to get in. Mass was just starting - 6:30pm - a 2 for 1 deal. I hung around for the mass while checking out the sites.

Next, I grabbed a sandwich and ate dinner while sitting on one of the bridge supports overlooking the Seine. I took a couple pics of what I was looking at during this time. I then walked north to the Bastille Monument and then over to the Republique Monument. By this time, it was nearing 9pm. I jumped on the metro back to my place.

A great, relaxing day. Paris is awesome. Distinguised, classy - like I mentioned on Day #1 of the trip. I'll decribe it as "tight" as well. I'm reading this book where one of the bosses told his worker: "Keep it tight - partner." Meaning - do things the right way, stay organized, stay clean, stay solid. Paris is "tight" in every sense of the word. Only thing - alot of PDA (public display of affection). If I had an eligible bachelorette on my arm - we'd have something.

A little research note to end the day --- According to the 2009 World Tourism Organization, Paris is the most visited city in the world - some 15+ million visitors a year. According to the same publication, the top 5 most visited countries in the world are: France (76 million/year), Spain (55 million/year), US (50 million/year), China (47 million/year), and Italy (37 million/year)

Day #61 - D-Day Beaches of Normandy

Omaha Beach - Pointe du Hoc in background

Omaha Beach - US Cemetary

Omaha Beach - monument

Arromanches - Debarkment Museum

Transportation for the day

Friday, May 14th

I started the day by checking out of my hotel in Caen, France and walking to the metro station. I rolled my big bag all the way to the metro - it didn't slow me down much at all. I then took the metro to the main train station in Caen where I had an 8:41am train to Bayeux, France.

Bayeux is located very near the coastline of Normandy - approximately 10 miles at its nearest point. I was suprised when I got into town to find that the public buses out of Bayeux only ran to the beaches sparingly. The more I think about it - I'm sure now that the daily tours have taken over the bus travel. Therefore, if you're a visitor, #1 option to travel to Normandy beaches is via car, and #2 option is to take the tours. #3 and beyond are to taxi, take the public buses, or to bike.

I would have taken the tours, I just didn't feel like it today. I wanted to do my own thing. In addition to saving about $60-$80 - I could be more mobile. I didn't feel like I needed as much explanation here - I just wanted to walk. All of the above led me to the tourist information center in Bayeux. I happened to be there when a guy walked in and said he had about 3 hours - he wanted to see Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery - is there a bicycle rental place in town. The lady said: "Yes - right behind us here on the street". The guy was obviously from the US. I went over and said: "Chief, mind if I join you on the bike ride to Omaha Beach?" He said that would be fine.

This guy, Jake, was an officer in the US Navy. He was a graduate from the Univeristy of Illinois in nuclear engineering. He is stationed in Germany and had to get back to his military plane by 2:00pm. He will soon be transferring to the Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii once he gets back to the states. He is originally from Indiana. He said, "I don't have much time, but I have to see Omaha Beach before I leave this country" I said: "Let's make it happen"

We get our bikes and head out. Jake says: "I run and bike alot - I'm not too worried about this ride" I'm thinking: "Great, I'm a couple days in to recovering and I have a superstar military officer setting the pace." The ride over was good, but we were getting after it. It was all I had to keep up. Even though the tourist center and some tour books say that a rental bike is an option - I would not recommend this to anyone. (unless you were a big-time biker) The streets you must travel to the beaches are 1 lane each way. Zero shoulder. Cars had to veer around us. If cars were coming in both direction, the car behind us had to stop and wait. There was major traffic. To be honest, it was not the smoothest decision I ever made. It was dangerous. My only saving grace is the fact that I have biked alot in my life (very little in the past 10 years); but nonetheless, I had experience of biking on rodes like this. You had to keep your wheel on the white line on the far right of the road, and not move it under any circumstances. One little veer here or there - you'd be hit by the car trying to pass.

Once arriving at Omaha Beach, my legs were like jelly. I about fell down after getting off the bike - legs trembling. We had rode about 15 miles are so - but quickly. Jake only had about 45 minutes because the ride over took us an hour. I walked around with him and took some pictures. We ran down to the beach and got some shots before he left. A good guy - you gotta feel proud to have your safety in the hands of someone like that representing our military.

I stayed at Omaha another couple hours. Really interesting. I walked along the beach. Eerily calm. I walked around the US cemetary. Names listed with their location in the states. Their was also a visitor center where they had displays and further information. Omaha Beach had the most casualties on D-Day. The Americans had planned to occupy an area 16 miles long and 6 miles deep by the end of June 6th. However, by that evening, a zone just 5 miles long and 1.2 miles deep was held. Omaha was one of the 2 beaches landed on by American soldiers (the other being Utah Beach). There were US flags eveywhere. In the restaurant I ate at, pictures of US presidnents were proudly displayed. Perhaps Europeans are not too fond of US in general, I don't think this is the case here in Normandy. You could find US flags everywhere you went.

After leaving the US Cemetary, I continued on down the rode to another section of Omaha --- Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer. This showed the area where the bridgehead was created for supplies. The bridgehead allowed 500,000 men, 100,000 vehicles, and 1,300,000 tons of various supplies to land in a few months - making Omaha the largest harbor in Europe.

I then got back onto the bike and headed to Gold Beach. I wanted to visit a place called Arromanches. It was a good 15+ miles on the bike. I was pedalling into a major headwind and there were some unfriendly hills on this section of the course. By myself, I trudged along. I only saw about 5 other bikers all day. 3 of which were obviously hard-core bikers. The other 2 were a husband and wife team, who didn't at all look like bikers, but who knows how far they were riding.

Arromaches has the Musee Du Debarquement. It's arguably one of the biggest tour sites along the entire Normandy coastline. I grabbed some pictures here but I really didn't have much time now. I needed to have my bike back to the shop by 6pm. Arromaches was a great spot. The beaches here were way bigger than Omaha Beach. You could see how the soldiers could have had more beach front to get their bearings once landing shore. Omaha - once landed - you were right there on top of the Germans.

I headed back to Bayeux. It was a good day. With a car, I would defintely have travelled the entire Normandy coastline. But, I got to see 2 beaches and the American Cemetary. It was a great experience and helped me appreciate what actually took place that day. I guess if you're 70 years old or older, you may even remember this day. Hopefully there will not be a copy of this any time in the near future.

Got on the 6:40pm train to Paris. I have a hotel in Paris tonight. We'll see about tomorrrow - not sure the plan just yet.

Day #60 - D-Day Beaches of Normandy

End Result - Death tolls

Fourth - ground attack

Third - parachuters sent in

Second - planes were sent to drop bombs

First - boats were sent from the English coast

Thursday, May 13th

Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword (under orders gi's jump ship). Sometimes I use phrases to remember things. This phrase just came to me. I've been thinking how I could remember this all day. Do you like it? I like it alot - I'll tell you why later.

What do these 5 words mean? To some, absolutely nothing. To others (like me), maybe it jogs memories of your history class. Still others, these words bring back some pretty strong emotions. These are the code-names for the 5 beaches stormed by the Ally forces on June 6, 1944 - better known as D-Day.

I'm currently in the city of Caen, France - about 3 hours northwest of Paris. I arrived late last night. I'll say from the start - today was just an appetizer for what I hope to do tomorrow. In France, today was a national holiday - Ascension Thursday. Most of the buses and trains had very limited running schedules. This made my travels extrememly difficult and I wasn't able to make it to the coastline.

I came to this location because I've always had interest in history. I probably know more about WWII than any other war. I'm not sure why. I gues I've always had an interest in this war. So many things involved. Good guys like: Churchill, Roosevelt. Bad guys like: Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. Names like: Nazis, Holocaust, Jews, Pearl Harbor. And then there is D-Day.

Normandy is an area of France. The beaches of Normandy stretch out over 50+ miles. Starting from Utah and Omaha on the southern front - where the American troops were stationed, to Gold (British), Juno (Canadian), and finally Sword (British) on the northern most beach. D-Day was just the start of the battle of Normandy. It took a few more months before the Allies were able to successfully push back the Nazis of Germany.

I started the morning off by going to the Caen Memorial Museum. There are 26+ museums all over Normandy which remember the D-Day events. The Caen Memorial is one of the more publicized museums. I spent several hours walking around. They spent alot of time in the museum telling the story of what actually led up to D-Day. I really enjoyed this. It helped bring back a bunch of memories and get me into the frame of mind before seeing the beaches themselves.

When I decided to head toward Omaha Beach, no trains or buses could get me there. I was frustrated, so fired up to see these - but it wasn't to be today. That's OK - tomorrow is another day. There's a number of memorials on the coastline, the US cemetary, etc. Just seeing this site is bound to mean something.

Earlier when I said - "Under orders gi's jump ship" - this was a take on how the soldiers themselves must have felt that day. I've read books to the effect that they didn't know exactly what was going to happen, they were seasick from the boat ride from England, and then BAM! - you're getting shot at from all directions. You jump into the water ready for battle. That's truly amazing. These guys are heroes in every since of the word. I gotta think that I would have been brave enough to be right there, but who knows.

After spending about 4 hours or so at the Caen Memorial, I just decided to come back to the hotel and rest up. Tomorrow morning I'll take an early train out and then a bus to the beaches. A car would go along way. If I had one, I would drive along the whole coastline. I'll have to see what I can do with buses and my feet. I've been winging things alot on this trip - I need to perform tomorrow.

Day #59 - Istanbul - Paris - Caen, France

Walls of the Ottoman Empire

Walls of the Ottoman Empire

Morning run overlooking Bosphorus

Early morning in Istanbul

Wednesday, May 12th

I woke up early this morning (6:30am) to go on a short run - the first run I've done in 2 weeks. I ran for about 25 minutes - but very slowly. Probably went only 2+ miles or so. I then walked another 3-4 miles making my way back to the hotel. I felt great. I headed to the water and ran toward the Sea of Marmara. I had my camera and took some photos while running. I enjoy early morning on this trip when you're out with few people on the streets. You can really see the city at it's core. I got to see the walls of the Ottoman empire that skirted the city to my right while the Bosphorus was on my left. I looked out over the Sea while watching the sun rise.

I ran by the Topkapi Palace I mentioned yesterday. This is the big Ottoman sultan palace where 40,000 inhabitants were once said to live. I also ran by the largest mosque in Istanbul - the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman I, the greatest and most powerful sultan created this himself between 1550 and 1557. It's perched up on a hillside in the 'Old City'. It's amazing. The symmetry and dedication to architectural excellence is nothing short of unbelievable considering when this was built.

Getting back to the hotel I cleaned up and had the same awesome breakfast from yesterday outside my room on the balcony. After packing, I headed to the airport via metro. Note - there is alot of traffic in Istanbul, trains or walking are the preferrable means to get places quickly. I'll always remember Istanbul as a place of my health melt-down, but also as a place I'd recommend to all visitors. It certainly has a 3rd world feel to it at first. Give it a chance. Food is great, service is great, sites are interesting and unique, and the people are English-speaking and friendly. I would argue that getting around in Istanbul is alot easier than many western European cities.

I took a 1:45pm flight to Paris arriving at 4:30pm. 4 hour flight as Paris is 1 time zone ahead of Istanbul. Paris is kind of like my hub city. Not sure why. It'a a good central spot. But specifically today, it sets me up to visit one of the sites I've been looking forward to most on the trip. After landing, I got through customs and headed for the train station. I booked a 3 hour train leaving Paris at 7:04pm and arriving in Caen, France at 10:20pm.

Tomorrow I tour the D-Day beaches of Normandy.

Day #58 - Istanbul, Turkey (Europe & Asia)

Looking over into the European side of Istanbul

Crossing the bridge from Europe to Asia

Cruise on the Bosphorus

The Bosphorus Bridge - passing under

Spice Bazaar

Tuesday, May 11th

Today was a really interesting day. I started off with an unbelievable breakfast. 10 feet from my room - the balcony that overlooks the city also serves as the breakfast location. Hard-boiled eggs, freshly-squeezed orange juice, tomatoes, melons, rolls with butter/jam, and fresh cheeses with salami meat -- it was awesome. I could eat this breakfast everyday. If I had all the money in the world, I would have a nutritionist/chef on staff. (You know what - I shouldn't think that way - anything is possible. Some things cost alot less than one would imagine)

I went downstairs to the hotel lobby and waited for my bus pickup scheduled for 8:20am. Our first stop was to the spice bazaar. This was a throw in on the tour. It was more of a meeting spot for all the groups to get situated for the day. The spice bazaar was pretty cool. I took a few shots. If for know other reason, it's a neat place to walk through just because of the aroma. This place was like a mini Grand Covered Bazaar I had walked around last night.

Next, one of the main reasons I took this tour, we boarded a boat and took a 1-1/2 hour cruise up/down the Bosphorus. Fantastic. The Bosphorus is a waterway that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. It effectively separates the city of Istanbul between the European and Asian continent. The Bosphorus is 20 miles long and acts as a main thoroughfare for large ships passing through to northern/southern ports. One of the first things I noticed when I boarded the ship was that the water was filled with jelly-fish. They were everywhere. Supposedly, jellyfish like the colder waters of the Black Sea and sometimes make their way down into the Bosphorus. It was a perfect sunny day and we slowly cruised up the European side toward the Black Sea. We quickly came to one of 2 suspension bridges that cross into Asia - The Bosphorus Bridge. Picture the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco - just not as big. It took me 18 minutes to run across the Golden Gate bridge - I think I could do this one in less time. (I just looked it up - The Golden Gate has a span of 4,200 meters and the Bosphorus has a span of 3,500 meters. Span length refers only to the section that is suspended between the 2 main towers. The largest suspension bridge in the US is the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (NY City Marathon fame)).

We came down the Asian side completing the cruise. It was great and a nice way to get some perspective of Istanbul. Next, we went to a restaurant in the "Old City" and had lunch on the top floor overlooking the Sea of Marmara. I got a chance to meet some great people. I had lunch with an Indian couple who now live in Witchita, Kansas, 2 older ladies from Barcelona, and a middle-age couple (the wife lives in St. Louis and the husband is in the military currently stationed in southern Turkey). Wow - he had the central part of the US covered. I love meeting interesting people. I can talk with them forever. The older couple from India were major world travelers. They were on a month vacation - 1 week in Casablanca, 1 week in Istanbul, 1 week in Athens, 1 week in London. I said: "Which one of these doesn't belong with the others?" He said - "Yeah - I used to live in London" We all agreed that Istanbul took us with a pleasant surprise. The couple from India stated this first - and it would be hard to argue with their travel resume.

After lunch we took our bus to the Asian side of the city. Really cool - 1 minute in Europe and then 1 minute in Asia. I couldn't phycially walk across the bridge - it is not allowed. The best I could do was by bus. We first went up to the highest point on the Asian side which had a view of the whole city. I didn't reealize Istanbul has some hig-rise buildings -- they are off in the "New City" portion. My hotel, and the major tourist attractions, are in the "Old City".

After the view, we went to tour the Beylerbeyi Palace. This was a summer home to the Ottoman Sultans. We had a guided tour of the facility. This was really interesting. I'm always stunned at how precise, elegant, and sophisticated ancient culture can be. A sultan was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire - kind of like a King or Emporer (the Big Cheese). Each sultan had 4 wives, 10 favorites, and 12 concubines. The mother of the sultan decided who he would be with each evening. This is somewhat similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing - and how the Emporer would function. Very interesting. The women and men had separate entrances into the palace. There were endless meeting rooms, all symbolizing something unique. There are 2 other main Palaces in Istanbul where the Ottoman Sultans lived. The Topkapi Palace and the Dolmabahce Palace. The Topkapi Palace being the largest - 175-acres and accommodating a communicty of 40,000 people. Wow.

We ended the day around 6pm. Due to my self-imposed current limitations, I took a nap. I ended up getting up about 10pm. I went out and grabbed some dinner and came back and fell asleep again around 2am. All in a day's work.