Istanbul, Turkey

After 7 days here in Istanbul (not including the 2 we had before we went to Olympos) we figure its time to share some of our experiences of the city so far. Since our first day we arrived and had our coffees paid for by a random old man in a little coffee house, we have been overwhelmed by the beauty and kindness of the Turkish people. Istanbul is a massive city with 13.5 million people (there is 22 million in all of Australia!) so there is always something going on. The city is spread over 2 continents, Europe and Asia, and most of our time has been spent on the Europe side.
We have enjoyed the change in culture, from waking up at 5.30am to the first light call to prayer from the Mosque next door to haggling with vendors everywhere, but especially the change in food. We have made good use of the street side food venders enjoying bagels, fresh squeezed orange and pomegranate juice, rice, honey churos, corn and doner kebabs all for 1 or 2 lira (50c-$1). I have loved the tea culture and the beautiful rituals of drinking tea throughout the day, once even served tea in the park. Morgan's mustache is always a favourite with the men on the streets who stop to comment or laugh and point as we walk on past. Today the men yelled out "famous man" as we passed a shop near our hotel which we pass most days.
We have explored the bazaar's and flea markets, rode the ferry to the princes' islands, admired the beautiful tiles and architecture, and taken so many photos on film.
-kim