Archive for the ‘Turkey’ Category
Istanbul
Istanbul has been a great city to chill out in after the hectic pace of the Egypt/Jordan tour. I’m staying in the Sultanahmet Square area where the city’s top attractions are: Ayia Sofia, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. My hotel is in a neighborhood with cobblestoned streets, shops, outdoor restaurants and cafes.
With a population of 10 million, Istanbul is a huge city with lots of neighborhoods, many of them on the water. Istanbul is in both Europe and Asia with the Bosphorus Bridge linking the two continents. I’ve been enjoying walking around although there are many steep hills in the city. Fortunately, the funiculars provide an easy way up and down. Being late summer, the afternoons are particularly hot, but places like the air conditioned Modern Art Museum was a great place to escape the heat.
I return to Athens this weekend for a few days before heading north to Norway and Iceland. I’m looking forward to the cooler weather…in Reykjavik the daily highs are in the low 50s F.
