ISTANBUL....NOT CONSTANTINOPLE

A 2 hour flight from Vienna took us to Istanbul for 4 days. After hearing that it was an over-crowded, city we didn't find getting around that difficult. Then we discovered we had arrived on the first day of Id - the Moslem celebration to end Ramadan which explained the quieter than normal streets. At home in Coburg I would have been aware that Id was coming up but we didn't realise from Slovakia. Many shops and sites were closed for the whole 4 days we were there, but on the bright side it  was easier to get around. The huge mosques dotting the city landscape seemed straight out of Arabian Nights and the call to prayer in the Old Town seemd to boom out from every direction. Given the number of mosques, it probably was coming from every direction. There were cats everywhere; chasing cats made a nice change for Ruby from chasing pigeons in Central Europe.



From the ferry, coming back to the European side



The men standing outside the restaurants trying to get our custom became tiring really quickly - a bit Bali-like (or even the city end of Lygon St), but I guess you've got to fight for business in such a big place. We stayed in the Old Town within walking distance of the main sites we wanted to see - Blue Mosque, Hagya Sophia (for the record not Saint Sophia), Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. We took a ferry 20 min across the Bosphorus - from Europe to Asia all within Istanbul. The Turkish were very friendly and not just the ones trying to sell us something, genuinely friendly and offering help with the pram, directions, ticket machines etc. Children seem to hold a sepcial place in Turkish society, so everywhere we went people tickled Ruby, played with her and gave her lollies. It reminded me of being in Indonesia with Rebecca when she was young. The hospitalty extended to restaurants where you were expected to drink tea, free of charge at the end of a meal and often to engage in conversation with the proprietor.  

The food was great, weather was superb - low to mid twenties everyday, and the people warm and welcoming. Turkey is definately a place we want to come back to and get around the whole country - another trip perhaps.

A quick catch up on postcards and baklava on the hill above Istanbul