Istanbul

Follow this link for more pictures from Istanbul:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103620108216329120374/albums/5939630633223799889

We landed in Istanbul after a red-eye flight from Nairobi. Immediately we noticed the modern airport, paved highways, and beautiful greenery lining the streets - in stark contrast to the dusty and bumpy roads of Kenya and its airport run out of makeshift tents (they are recovering from a fire in their international terminal). What a welcome change! Over the next few days, we discovered that Istanbul is large and modern, and is filled with culture and history.

The first day was action-packed. I was eager to have my freedom back after being on a guided safari for 10 days. As soon as we dropped off our luggage, we set off on a whirlwind tour of the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sofia. The architecture of these places is gorgeous, especially in the interior details of the Hagia Sofia.

Inside the Hagia Sopia

The iconic Blue Mosque

That night, we were delighted to be able to pick our own restaurant for dinner and to have the luxury of ordering whatever we wanted (food in the lodges in Kenya was nothing to write home about).  Everything was delicious! We finished off the night with Turkish delights from the Spice Market.

Day two was filled with even more delights. In the morning we visited Topkapi Palace, the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years. The highlight was the Harem which was much less crowded allowing us to appreciate it in peace. The decorative details are so beautiful and unlike anything else I've seen. We also visited many more mosques that day. The best treat of the day, though, was having traditional Turkish tea in a garden overlooking the Bosphorus River. To top it off, we visited the trendy Galata district across the Golden Horn in the evening. The view from the city from the Galata Tower is breathtaking. We walked down the large pedestrianized shopping street in the neighborhood, and ended up at Shake Shack for dinner! Yup, this was another busy day.

Inside the Harem, Topkapi Palace

Traditional Turkish tea - it was served in a concentrated form in the upper pot, with the lower pot filled with hot water, in case you preferred your tea a bit less strong. 

Panorama from atop the Galata Tower. It's hard to capture the 360-degree view.  

This pedestrianized shopping street is super lively and runs late into the night.

Where I got my new favorite shirt and dress. Dave only took this picture because he got really bored waiting for me inside the store - I like how it turned out. 

Unfortunately, we did have to leave Istanbul on a slightly sour note. On our way to the airport, we couldn't find a taxi because of the horrendous evening traffic. And when we finally got on one, we sat in on the same two blocks for about 45 minutes. Luckily, we gave ourselves lots of extra time to get to the airport. The worst part was our cab driver who not only drove like a maniac, but also grossly overcharged us.