The adventure has officially commenced! We are on the flight to Istanbul, Turkey.
Constantinople is the ancient city that is now known as Istanbul, Turkey. It was first settled between the 13th and 11th century B.C. The city was named Constantinople by Roman Emperor Constantine in 330 AD when it became the capital of the Roman Empire (which it was for more than a thousand years). Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe through the early 13th century. In 1204 the Fourth Crusade destroyed much of the city and its population…which then continued to falter through the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. In 1930, the city was officially renamed Istanbul. It is now the largest city and financial center of the Republic of Turkey.