Lares Park Hotel Taksim Istanbul

... l, 20 TLs--6 for depos&#305;t 14 for fares I can use. Th&#305;s &#305;s the Turks suggest&#305;on. Another good adv&#305;ce, so travellers, l&#305;sten to local people for adv&#305;ces!<br><br>But there was a marathon go&#305;ng on &#305;n the c&#305;ty, so no tram unt&#305;l 2 pm!!!! I had to walk all the way to my hostel &#305;n Sultanamet. It was really strange walk&#305;ng on the tram way. But ...

... flavoured wines. I bought some blueberry wine because it tasted so good, hopefully I will get to crack it open soon. That night I took an overnight bus to Istanbul, where I arrived this morning and today I caught up with the fellas that I met at the pink Palace. Push ups were back in from the get go but there was some serious sight seeing to be done, so Kiwi Mike and I went for a wander around town. We took photos of the stunning Blue ...

... so we had to take the tram to the Sultanahmet district where most of the old structures are located. We were met by a man with a pamphlet advertising his hotel that had been open a week, offering a room for 45 Euro, so we decided to check it out. Yes, they had been working on renovations and had made some good improvements, but, it was not quite ready and on a very noisy street. After three nights, we moved to a quieter, nicer place for 55 TL. We four were in the right place at ...

... surfing site a few weeks prior and arranged our stay in Istanbul with him. His directions were great and after a nice bus ride through the city, a walk around Takim Square and a metro ride to Levent 4 we were standing in front of Bambinos waiting for our host. He arrived a few minutes late, all apologetic about his tardiness and then took off toward home as we followed behind. That night we were treated to Turkish Ravioli (which his mother had sent him from his home town ...

... he again offers to Michael to meet Turkish girls..... I dont get it....... Anyway: we wander into the famous Blue Mosque surprisingly near our hotel. Quite large, lovely stain glass with massive chandeliers hanging down stories to settle only ~8 ft off of the ground. Really amazing space. We then crossed the way to Aya Sofia. Fantastic. Finishing in 537 (cant wrap my head around that) and originally a Christian ...

... a pleasant evening. On returning to the hotel we did go up to the 14th floor to the roof bar and admired the stunning view, but it did cost us a fair bit for one glass of wine and a beer!! We have now said goodbye to our fellow Insight tourers. Once again we made many new friends and enjoyed their company. It will be rather nice, though, to be able to return to our own schedule and not have to get up at 6am and have our bags outside the door at 6-30. We now head for Venice!!

... But it soon became apparent that he was trying to pick up this 19 year old girl. At one point Michael and I were in hysterics; we were eating lunch and Lionel Ritchie came on the radio singing "Hello...is it me you're looking for?" Orhan asked her if she knew it and she did not, so he began to describe the video in earnest detail and sing along with the lyrics, and he told her it was "SO deep you can't imagine" This became a favourite saying of ours, and we are now repeating it ...

... night services at the Ashkenazi Synagogue, where I make a minyan and Hannah is upstairs alone till another visitor arrives. There may not be many men there, but they make up for it with the most vigorous "amens" we've ever heard. We stroll around the neighborhood, Hannah shops at some little shops, we stop for a small salad and head for bed. More details coming soon!

... venture too far into the Asian side, but just far enough to see Galata Tower, a medieval tower that rises above the surrounding houses. On the way back to the hostel we stopped by the Spice Bazaar, a much smaller version of the Grand Bazaar that sold more food and spices. That night we took another trip to the Grand Bazaar for some last minute souvenirs. Istanbul is a very exotic city for us pale westerners and it is ...

... Spanish, French or even Chinese - the words are just so different from anything we know, so right now please and thank you is about all we've learnt in 4 days - luckily heaps of Turks (at least in Istanbul) speak some English (and the carpet seller are fluent in English and at least 3 other languages, and are charming and amusing to boot - but guess you don't last long in the carpet business here with out being charming and witty!) Impressions of ...