Istanbul

Saturday morning – I’d got through border control at Istanbul airport and turned to see the customs officer waving Michael’s passport above her head yelling “this passport needs a visa!!!” Oops.😬

So, I had to wait for him to go find the visa office and ‘buy his way into the country’. 50 euro.

It was about an hour drive on the shuttle bus to our hotel. We are on the Fatih side. (Europe)

It’s been a busy few days exploring the city. If you’re exhausted after seeing everything we’ve done, imagine how we’re feeling. We’ll need to head home soon to rest! 😮‍💨

The Obelisk of Theodosius.
It was brought from Egypt to the Hippodrome (sporting arena) of Constantinople in the 4th century AD. How??
The impressive Blue Mosque.
‘Susan Mary’
It is a city of cats. They’re everywhere – and they are well looked after. The shop owners let them nap wherever they want.
Sorry! I love them:)
The Spice markets.
So many colours, smells and noises! A very busy place.
Had to buy a selection of Turkish delights to snack on.
We walked across the river – there were fishermen lined up the whole way across the bridge.
Love all the fishing lines along the top.
We stopped here to eat.
In case you’re wondering…Menemen.
Followed by tea with baklava.
Then walked over to Galata Tower – it was a watch tower back in the day. It’s now a museum.
Do I want to wait in line for an hour to go up? Nope.
These Fish Mekans were the BEST! (Like a kebab but with fish)
Taksim Square.
Found a lovely little Church tucked in along the busy Istiklal street.
Very pretty.
Then back over the bridge.
A few weddings happening today.
This is the view/sound from our bedroom at 5am in the morning.
And from the restaurant balcony of our place. It’s a good spot.👌🏻
A day at the Grand Bazaar.
Yep, it was hectic.
The SAN Sebastian baked cheesecake with chocolate. It was good.👍🏻
Lucy, let us know if you’d like a Turkish lamp kk.😉
Now, if you’re in Turkey- you should really go to a bath house for a good steam/scrub/foam bath and massage.
It was very funny.
(no photos for obvious reasons)
A boat trip up the Bosphorus Straight. (The Bosphorus straight links the Black Sea to the Marmara sea)
Europe on the West and Asia on the right.
One of Istanbuls football Stadiums. Galatasaray are playing Liverpool here tonight in the UEFA Championship League. We’ll be watching it on TV.
Kiz Kulesi (Maidens Tower)

So, there you go. We also have big day tomorrow- we’re off to Gallipoli.

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