Our meeting point to start the tour was a long drive to the other side of Istanbul. We evemtually found the rest of our party and drove on. We tried the local shaved beef specialty at a roadside cafe overlooking the Sea of Marmara. The route took us across the Osmangazi Bridge which spans the Gulf of Izmir and then we made another stop at Nika (ancient Nicaea). We were able to see a remnant of the walls.
Our attempt to visit the local Haghia Sofia was thwarted by afternoon prayers. The call to prayer was so loud it gave me a headache.
We drove on into the mountains above the lake to the city of Bursa. We scored a spectacular room with this view over the city from our balcony.
