Greetings! We've spent the last three days meandering around the cobbled streets of Istanbul. I had no idea it was such an affluent city, I had this idea in my head that it was more like Hungary, a bit crumbling and more middle eastern. If you take away the mosques, which are fantastic, and the million and one kebab shops, you could be in just about any prosperous major European city. The people do look a cross between Eastern Europeans and Middle Easterns.We did a wonderful evening cruise on the Bospherous today. This pic was taken just before 5pm, (you can just make out some minarets in the distance). That is another thing we are having to get used to: the early sunsets and the chilly evenings. It was amazing seeing the enormous mansions and old almost English manor houses dotted along both banks of the river. Some serious money in this town!
Yesterday we walked the length of of İstiklal Avenue, across the river. It is the main shopping street and has a wonderful old red tram which goes up and down. It has all the top brands and designer labels. Istanbul is very expensive. I think I mentioned this already. About the only cheap thing are the sweets. We have been eating heaps of different turkish delight and other Turkish sweets. The shop windows are full of huge varieties of Turkish delight, Halva and baklava. Those Turks sure know how to make sweets!
But we are leaving Istanbul in about 45 minutes. We are catching the night bus to the Cappadocia region, about 10 hours east of Istanbul. It is famous for its caves carved out of natural rock formations, underground cities and lunar landscapes. From there we might follow the coast all the way back to Istanbul. No clear plan yet in mind.
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