Istanbul: Part 1

I had such an amazing weekend in Istanbul.  It lived up to all my expectations.  We were lucky enough to arrive right in the middle of the three day 'sugar festival' that celebrates the end of Ramadan.  Seemed like everyone in Istanbul was out on the streets celebrating with literally hundreds of street stalls selling corn, sweetened popcorn, boiled sugar sweets and ice-cream.  Made for some fantastic people watching.  Istanbul really is the meeting point of continents and cultures with european and arabic influences mixing together to create a vibrant and incredibly interesting city. Grungy nightclubs sit along side traditional shisha shops, a vibrant mix of dress, Kiosks, street stalls, bazarres... and then there is the history.  Three days was not nearly enough time to explore everything this city has to offer, but it was enough to wet my appetite and want to do a bit more travelling in Turkey.

More picture to come later, but for a start;

1. The Blue Mosque from a window of Aya Sofya

2. On the ferry; Woman and Buying Tea

3. Tiles from the Harem in Topkapi Palace

4. The Blue Mosque looking over the Bosphorus