Istanbul

At some point last year I became intrigued by Istanbul and decided I had to get there so I am pleased to say I've just come back from 4 days in old Constantinople with Laleh and her sister, Nil. And what a place! We barely scratched the surface of the city in this time but did get a good taste for everything it has to offer - the historical sights, the food, the nightlife and the shopping.

As with most tourists, we spent quite a bit of time in the old town, Sultanahmet, not in the least because our hotel was here, but also seeing the world heritage listed Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace.

The Blue Mosque on a grey day





Ceramic tiles abound



The impressive Aya Sofya - a Christian church from 537 AD which became a mosque in 1453 and a museum in 1934



Inside - over 30 million gold mosaic tiles and not a buttress in sight to hold it all up



Topkapi Palace - a world away from last weekend's visit to Windsor Castle!





A view out over the Bosphorus



We did make it out of that district only to get caught up in the excitement of another - the Bazaar district - with both the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. In the evenings we went to Beyoglu for the restaurants and nightlife. Laleh and I also managed to squeeze in a visit to the famous Cagaloglu Hamam and had an afternoon excursion north to the posh area of Nisantasi for lunch and a spot of shopping.

About to enter the Grand Bazaar





Our first caffeine and sugar hit of the day





Istanbul does cheap eats well - best kebab ever hidden deep in the bazaar





My nth turkish coffee of the day





In the Spice Bazaar





The eating was pretty good too I have to say - lots of fresh fish, delicious vegetable meze (much needed after all the baklava!), and a great lamb shish kebab. We drank lots of pomegranate juice, turkish coffee, apple tea and tried Sahlep, a milk drink made with wild orchid seeds and cinnamon.

Laleh & Nil get another hit of anti-oxidants at the pomegranate stand



The city by night - a view from the bar, 360



Istanbul has such a great vibe with a lot going on - it's a fascinating place. I've come home with jasmine tea, a kilo of turkish delight and some hand painted ceramic bowls... and a new pair of shoes.

There are a zillion things we missed but there was no hope of doing it all in one short visit. Next time we'll definitely do a boat trip on the Bosphorus (we missed the boat by 10 minutes after a mad dash!) and explore the Asian side.