Our 24 hours in Istanbul was a tantalizing appetizer of this amazing city. Thanks to our jet-lagged bodies and brains, we managed to only find time to explore the Sultanahmet area, which contains the iconic Blue Mosque and it's elder sibling, the Hagia Sofia Mosque. Standing in between both mosques, both during the day and especially at night is truly breathtaking. It's especially nice to eat dinner and sipping Turkish wine at the Cozy Cafe on the top floor while gazing at the majestic Blue Mosque lit up at night under a full moon. But be sure to take at least 4 or 5 days to explore the buzzing bazaars and neighborhoods of Istanbul, and be very careful with the taxi drivers, especially in front of the Hagia Sofia. One of them took us on the classic 'too much traffic, we go the other way' route which double the price, then tried to pull the old switcheroo by taking our 50 Lire note and showing us a 5 Lire note saying we gave too little. Yet it was so obvious my verbal lashing made him give it back immediately. But we won't let this scoundrel ruin our memories of Stambouli, we shall return!
More photos here...
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