We had a really fantastic time in Turkey - two full days (three nights) in Istanbul, followed by eight days sailing along the Mediterranean coast.
Though we had just a short time in Istanbul, we packed our few days with plenty of activity. We were staying at the Side Hotel in the Sultanhamet area which meant we could walk to many of the sights. We spent a lot of time at the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia, which were also within sight of our hotel. Topkapi Palace was also just around the corner, so we spent about two hours there (really, you need more time there to fully appreciate its gandeur) before catching a day tour to take a trip along the Bosphorous river. We also made sure to visit the Grand Bazaar - a fascinating mini-city of shops and vendors hawking their wares. We spent a lot of time walking around in the Bazaar, but I still think we just barely scratched the surface!
Our time in the city was followed by a week of blissful cruising, where we explored a few port cities (Marmaris, Fethiye, Gocek...), swam and snorkeled in the sea, and spent some time catching up with family. I made a rough sketch of our sea journey here, in this Google Map.
We haven't had any time yet to really sort out our photos, but for now, here are just two shots from Istanbul:
Taken outside one of the little restaurants near our hotel - everything just has such a European flavour!
The Hagia Sophia - one of the most famous churches-come-mosques. Taken pre-dawn from the roof of the Side Hotel:
1 comment:
Wow - looking forward to some more details and more pictures. It sounds like you had a good time though. How was the food and drink?
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