Portugal, Greece and Turkiye memories

The cobbled streets and alleys on the hills of Lisbon. A mysteriously cancelled train and no taxis avalable. A temporarily lost passport in Lisbon airport. Colourful tiles covering the outside and inside of buildings. Steep hills and a busy river in Porto. Luscious sweet tarts and pastries, seafood and lots of Baccalau croquettes. Hooting owls in beautiful Coimbra, stone steps worn out in the centre from footsteps over the years. Shiny small cobblestones on the streets.

Away from the madding crowd in Santorini, with veiws and walks and more veiws. Blue and white churches and houses. The luxury of the hotels built into the caves at Oia looking over the Caldera. Donkeys and many steps alongside a cable car. Relaxing vibe and beaches in Naxos. Busy sprawling Athens with it's magnificant history.

Arriving in Istanbul at 6pm to find our accommodation shut up and sold. The turkish government banning booking.com. The cultural diversity in Istanbul. Russian submarines travelling through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus to the Black sea. Exploring where the ANZAC troops landed at Gallipoli. The busy international waters of the Bosphorus strait is the centre of life in Istanbul. A lot of carpets! Many, many mosques. The call to prayer is broadcast on loadspeakers all over the city several times a day. Security scanners when you enter buildings such as the Airport and Basilicas. Exotic and different to anywhere else we have been, absolutely spectacular.Read more