We didn't know it, but we timed our November visit to Istanbul badly as it coincided with Bayram, the Turkish festival of sacrifice. That meant big crowds of Turkish holidaymakers on top of the usual hordes of tourists. Since we aren't used to seeing more than a dozen or so people in Finike at any one time, it was a bit of a culture shock.
Where do you start your tour of Istanbul? With the Blue Mosque of course. Head covered (for the women that is) and shoes off.
This is the entrance to the harem - a one-way street for the concubines who lived out their lives here.
If you think your bargaining skills are up to scratch - think again. The Grand Bazaar is where you meet the real pros. The crowds were something else as well - think Oxford Street on the first day of the sales.
Where do you start your tour of Istanbul? With the Blue Mosque of course. Head covered (for the women that is) and shoes off.
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| Massive space for the men..... |
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| .........and the women are penned in here |
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| The view of Aghia Sophia from our excellent pension, and inside... |
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| ...is the largest covered space in Christendom at one time.... |
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| .....topped by this magnificent dome inlaid with gold mosaic |
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| One of two bridges linking Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus |
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| Intense blue and red Iznik tiles are everywhere |
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| Classic Byzantine architecture - this is in Topkapi |
This is the entrance to the harem - a one-way street for the concubines who lived out their lives here.
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| Balik Ekmek for lunch - mackerel in a bun served from boat rocking in choppy waters of Bosphorus |
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| Freshly squeezed oranges and pomegranates from Finike |
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| Making lurid coloured twists of candy |
If you think your bargaining skills are up to scratch - think again. The Grand Bazaar is where you meet the real pros. The crowds were something else as well - think Oxford Street on the first day of the sales.
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| Abandon hope..........we needed a compass to find our way out |
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| Peshtamal salesman - he's just made a sale |
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| Buying up the lighting shop |
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| Hand-made in Iznik - which one to choose? |
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| A free cat with every carpet |
The Museum of Ottoman Science and Technology showed we Europeans were way behind the Arabs in clever inventions like water clocks, telescopes, siege engines and the like back in the Dark Ages. And how about these to solve our energy problems these days?
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| Ingenious water wheel moored in a fast-flowing river |
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| A wind turbine without blades - clever, eh? |
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| Which one is the Hittite lion - or is it a bear? |
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