Turkey

Wednesday, August 5th
In the same way that my friend Elizabeth had the right plan for Paris, Lonely Planet had the right plan for Istanbul. Jesse used his guide to take us to the Blue Mosque, an ancient cistern, the Aya Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorous, and a whirling dervish performance at a hookah bar.

Istanbul, an important city to any Duke's Man, surpassed all my expectations. It's beautiful, developed and has thousands of years of history.

Thursday, August 6th
Several of us visited the city's ancient palace. In the evening, we sang a concert at Bogazici University. After the show, we hit the town as a group. While we walked the streets, the Whiffendoox (i.e., Whiffs who sang with the Duke's Men) sang our group's traditional closing song and alumni song, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)."

Friday, August 7th
Casey, Jesse and I took an hour-long ferry down the Bosphorus River. At around 7pm, we sang a concert in a cistern constructed in the sixth century. After the show, we had a reception on the top floor of a building overlooking the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia.