Intriguing Instanbul

Our early start in Instanbul was somewhat interesting. Going our own way and arranging for a private guide we ventured off the ship first up to follow our nose to the meeting point to join "Ludwig" our guide. So waiting at a tram stop that had not started operation yet was not the best start but with the help of a great taxi driver, he advised us what to do and in return he ended up with a good fare and delivered us to our starting point in plenty of time. Our tour started with Lütfullah FINDIKOĞLU or Ludwig for short, and from there, it was a day of laughter, smiles, amazement, beauty and falling in love with Instanbul. East meets West in this fantastic city of about 22 million, and I think they were all out and about with us. We visited the Hagia Sophia, the Bluemosqu, the Topkapı Palace, the Cistern, did a river cruise on the Bosphorus, walked one street in the Grand Bazaar (there are 68 in total) brought a box of the most amazing Turkish Delight (Cadburies never again) drank Turkish Tea, enjoyed a delicious lunch and then dinner in Turkish restaurants and watched a Dervish Religious Ceremony. After all this at 9.30pm, we successfully navigated the busiest tram network in the world on our own and collapsed into bed back on the ship to rest our weary feet and attempt to sleep after the most exhilarating day. Istanbul and Turkey are amazing.Read more