Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) Istanbul

The first road we cycled on in Turkey was a very gentle introduction to Turkish driving, a perfectly smooth duel carriageway with hard shoulder and no traffic. This didn't last and soon we were on bumpy roads, afternoon rain storms and lush green scenery was not what we expected from Turkey but the cooler weather was very welcome.

We …

Once upon a time there was a very powerful empire created at the juncture of the Bosphorous and Marmara Seas. Over the years, the empire became very rich and the physical embodiment of those riches was expressed through mosques and palaces which were exquisitely decorated with hand painted tiles, delicate carvings, gold leaf and other trappings of …

Nach einem angenehmen 3 1/2 Stunden Flug mit Sun Express sind wir nun heile in Istanbul gelandet. Danach ging es mit Linienbus, Fähre und Taxi ins Sydney Hostel, in dem wir 1. we***** zahlen mussten als ausgemacht, 2. Internet, Safe und Drucken für umstonst bekamen und 3. ein super Frühstück aufm Rooftop mit Blick auf den Bosphorus genießen durfen …

Here we are! Only two months later! A brief recap of my Thanksgiving weekend trip to Turkey (yes, I see the pun there). I'm going to do this one a bit differently, and make it a mostly picture blog! You will learn about my adventures through the medium of photography. And I am such a skilled photographer- especially with my smudged lens- that I am …

Rising well rested from a good night's sleep and after polishing off a continental breakfast we headed out to see the cities many sites. We’d met a few fellow travellers at breakfast, David, an Aussie from Melbourne and Bruce and Sheila from Cambridge (they should be Aussies shouldn’t they?) We headed out with David to have a look …

This morning we enjoyed a sleep in and wandered down for breakfast around 10am. Then headed out to explore more of this fascinating city.

First of all we found the Basilica Cistern. This was so, so interesting - it was built in the 6th century to supply water to the nearby palace. I'd read about it in my Lonely Planet and I've reproduced …

I was so excited to be going to Istanbul, it is afterall where my paternal Grandfather grew up (although that is not where he was born). Istanbul was also on my bucket lists of places I wanted to see, so as an alternate destination it was a great choice for me. Rochelle has been to Istanbul many times, but for me it was my first time! Yay
Once …

My introduction to Istanbul was a tiny glass of hot "apple spice tea". For more than a year, I had researched and planned my great escape. Istanbul was on a little piece of paper that was pulled from a paper bag where I had placed other "Bucket List" destinations like Spain, Morocco, Israel, Rome and Greece. I then mapped out other close-by places …

John and I had two nights in Beirut before we left for our long journey home. We of course hit our most frequented venues Whiskey Bar and The Greedy Goose. After being in the small village of Zgharta, without many dining options, John and I went almost immediately to a sushi bar for our Thursday night dinner in Beirut. Le Sushi Bar is a restaurant …

So we've successfully been travelling for 2 days now. I now realise all the things I've forgotten, including an amazing t-shirt my little sis got made for me, sob, my face wash, a hairbrush and a washing line! The flight was all good, unfortunately for boggy any kind of motion makes me sleep so I awoke only to eat and to land. Istanbul really isn't …

... rather busty and voluptuous, her shirt was too tight to be considered modest. She was careful to cover up upon entering the Blue Mosque so that she wouldn't have to wear the dreaded tent again. Probably the most impressive building in Istanbul is Aya ...

... ; The girls escort me to Reina, a club on the Bosphorus river... what we were told was the hottest spot in Istanbul was absolutely amazing.  Set under a perfectly lit suspension bridge that seemed to change colors in unison with the Turkish ...

... . I spend the afternoon inside the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. These are the two most fantastic and grandiose structures in Istanbul, Turkey, even the world. Quite a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Before the sun went down I made my way ...

... our research we found many people saying that the Sophia is more awe inspiring, and I must say they are right. All together, the Blue Mosque is a functional place of worship, down to earth, not as overdone as most of the churches. The Blue Mosque is big ...

... Istanbul last time. No wonder we hadn't - it was a bloody rip off too!!!! 15 YTL each! That's $AU15!!! We decided the Blue Mosque was better priced - discretionary donation (free)!!! So we went over to take a look. Shoes off, we were all stopped at ...

... visit a mosque or two. And there are a plethora. They're everywhere. Perhaps the most touristed and spectacular are the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia. Individually incredible, each of these two mosques benefits from their proximity to one another, to ...

... fail to impress. The following day was Nic becoming a woman.... Happy 30th!!! The day started out nicely with sightseeing at the Blue Mosque. Shoes were removed and scarves were used to cover the hair and then we crained our necks to take in the beauty ...

... other place right now except the Golden Temple; darn those Amazonian brain eating worms...I think...). The majesty of the Blue Mosque was slightly diminished by the electrical webbing strung between two minarets that, although it looked like a ...

... . How is it possible that the building is still standing?  www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnbJZExEXUY The Blue Mosque is just a short walk from Hagia Sophia. Really just across the street. We navigated the gauntlet ...

... a lovely outdoor dinner in the neighborhood near our hotel called Sultanhamet.  We are right near the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, the most amazing underground CÝstern and other beautiful sights.  Everywhere you go there is a Hello madam or ...