We love Istanbul

Our hotel is great and breakfast was ridiculous. We each ordered a Turkish breakfast because, well, when in Rome! When the guy came, he just kept putting dishes on our table - we glanced at each other and had to stifle our laughter. The photo is before he then brought out two baskets of bread and condiments……needless to say lunch was very light.
We met our guide for a walking tour (you’ll remember how much I love these 😂). What a legend Hatmek was!! He took us around the Topkapi Palace area, gardens, across the Bosphorus on a ferry to the Asian side (our third continent in 12 hours!!), we visited Mosques and were given advice on where to eat, etc etc.
It was Jim’s first ever “free walking tour” and he loved it! Hatmek was funny and full of knowledge. He left us on the Asian side and we explored some more having famous ice cream for lunch. We had to wait with a knife and fork!! It was rock solid and delicious.
Jim bought himself a little Turkish coffee pot and we had the best time getting ourselves back to the hotel. We wandered up tiny steep roads and cobbled streets, stumbling across Galata Tower on the way.
Our road is incredibly popular with an insanely fabulous vibe.
After an afternoon nap we headed out for dinner even though we still weren’t really all that hungry 😂😂
It’s like NYE and it’s a Sunday night! The streets are lit up with what may be Christmas decorations 🤷‍♀️(a quick google explained that Turkey doesn’t celebrate Christmas, so the lights must be for something else).
Dinner was delicious; I had stuffed capsicum and an arrangement of dips and bread and Jim had a proper Turkish donor kebab. We finished off with a drink in a street bar. A 10/10 day!Read more