Istanbul in May

With Mark here to visit, we decided to take him on a short trip to Istanbul, Turkey. We were joined by his lovely friend Megan, who is currently living in London.

It was a great time had by all. We stayed in an apartment in the old part of town, a short walk to the Blue Mosque and the hundreds of touts who do their best to part you and your money. We spent time walking around town, visiting the mosques, palace and Grand Bazaar. After being in town for about 5 mintues, we found ourselves in a carpet shop and are now proud owners of three Turkish rugs - expensive, but beautiful souvenirs!

A highlight was a 2 hour ferry ride up the Bosphorous river to the mouth of the Black Sea. A walk up the hill to the castle was worth it for the great views over the water and glimpses of Istanbul on the horizon.

Back in Istanbul, I can highly recommend a wander over to the new side of town to visit the great shops, bars and restaurants. The food is terrific and a few shots of raki put everyone in an excellent mood.

After a few days, Mark and Megan left Istanbul to meet Fiona in Berlin and Peter and I did a weekend tour down to Gallipoli, which was a great experience. More on that soon.

See all the Istanbul photos