...not Constantinople!

Much of our travel is based on price. Where we go, what we do, and how we get there are primarily dictated by the cost of the activity. We found ourselves in Greece at a crossroads; we could either continue eastward into Turkey, head deeper into Eastern Europe, or work our way back to the UK. Entering the peak of tourist season in Europe, prices are nearing extortion, we found train travel to Turkey to be a reasonable price. For under 100 US dollars we procured a lovely little sleeper car for two and began our journey to on of the great capitals of the world, Istanbul.

During the day, the trip from Thessaloniki to Istanbul was beatiful. Our room was pretty cool too, we had two fold down beds, all sorts of privacy and plenty of room to stretch out.

After getting through border control at dawn, we rode past endless fields of sunflowers, all of them pointing toward the rising sun, drinking in its life-giving light. 

We found a hotel in old Istanbul for under $20 a night, where we dropped off our bags and headed to see the sights. We first went to Hagia Sofia, a magnificent and ancient Christian church that costs a small fortune to enter. 

Hagia Sofia

The sweating pillar in Hagia Sofia. The pillar is made of a porous stone that somehow absorbs water from its surroundings. There is a thumb sized hole in the pillar that you can stick your thumb in and attempt to twist your hand a full 360 degrees, while you make a wish. If your thumb comes out wet then  your wish will come true. I impressed all the locals with my hand spinning ability. 

The main hall of Hagia Sofia

One of many incredible mosaics in Hagia Sofia

View of the Blue Mosque from Hagia Sofia

We went into the sultans tomb, where many of the old sultans are buried. We had to take off our shoes and Chelsea had to cover her head. 

The courtyard of the Blue mosque

I had to wear a skirt to cover my bear legs, no shorts allowed in the Mosque. 

The prayer area in the blue mosque. We sat an watched these devote men bow down and pray in humility for quite some time. The women have a separate area in the back where they pray.

We call this picture "Turkish Breakfast" and it is safe to say that this could be called lunch and dinner as well. Tea and cigarettes are a staple, at any hour of the day or night you will find people sitting and drinking tea while casually smoking. Shop owners have standing orders of tea at certain times of the day that are brought to them on shiny platters from local cafe's.

Istanbul is a lovely city, pretty clean, moderns and bustling.

The grand bazaar, an ancient shopping mall, jam packed with people and vendors.

They sell honey comb by the gram in the spice markets. We had never had any so we bought 100g. It tasted like honey...with beeswax...

Tired of the super cheap accommodation we were staying in, we opted for some "cheap" accommodation just up the street. The room was beautiful, with a huge flat screen TV, Kind sized bed, sitting area, and a Jacuzzi. 40 dollars never went as far.

We took a cruise up the Bosphorus ( a river that separates Europe from Asia and connects the Mediterranean with the Black sea) The riverside is beautiful, covered in ruins and palaces.

Bosphorus cruise

Bosphorus

Bosphorus

Bosphorus cruise hair

We found food to be more expensive than hoped for in Istanbul. So our meals were often the traditional local fair of beans and copious amounts of complimentary bread.

The bridge between European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul.

We are not sure where they got this mannequin... 

There are stray dogs roaming all over Istanbul, they are fat, happy, and not at all interested in barking or being any other type of nuisance. It seems like the locals quite like them.

We went to a popular restaurant, where we sat on pillows and ate with our hands. The food was quite good, but we got a little lonely in this room all by ourselves.

They have these loud and pushy ice cream guys all over. Mix the ice cream with a giant metal pole and smear bits of it on a cone. The ice cream is a strange texture, rubbery and cold.

On the Asian side of Istanbul, there is a long street where everybody seems to be found. We walked around for hours looking in shops and people watching, there were a lot of people.

There were a number of second hand shops that we perused. They were packed full of ancient clothing without any real organization or notable methodology.

These amazing mosques dominate the skyline of Istanbul. There are arguably more of these incredible buildings per square mile than Starbucks in any other city.