Taksim Eresin Istanbul

... nook where a famous goldsmith’s workshop was. We’d read about Ayhan Usta (“Ayhan the Master”) in our Rick Steves book. When we wandered into that area, we didn’t have the intention of finding him (we just wanted to see the area). But when one of his friends saw us (obviously tourists) he pulled us into Ayhan Usta’s workshop. Ayhan Usta just happened to be in there at that very moment, melting gold scraps down to form a solid gold bar. Ayhan Usta ...

... and swathes of cats and dogs - relaxıng and sunnıng themselves - dogs appear to be tagged through the ears lıke cattle - they are unlovely, but stoıc - I'm avoıdıng watchıng them cross the roads, but ın fact see them mıraculously appearıng on the medıan strıps through the most ıntractable traffıc - I saw one flopped down on the traffıc ısland and f ...

... way than turned left, we saw inner Istanbul and then the driver must have thought it best we see the rest of greater Istanbul as well. An hour had passed and the minutes where still ticking away. We were all starting to plan on what to do if we missed the bus. With 10 minutes to spare we pulled into the bus depot, did a loop to find the bus and out again.
What was going on?
Our driver rang a friend and waited.
What was going on?
We showed our driver ...

... boats were all over the place, especially closer to Istanbul. The trip out towards the Black Sea takes about an hour and a half and ends at a port called Anadolu Kavagi on the Asian side. There isn't much to do here (the stop-over is a minimum of three hours) except walk about 2 km uphill to an old 14th century Genoese castle which has a beautiful view of the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea. Although the weather was ******, we decided to hike it up and take a ...

... me there she described it as looking like a refugee camp. I didn't mind though. I was able to fit in a bit of sightseeing on the second day, visiting the Blue Mosque which while amazing and iconic on the outside looked a little bit like a nightclub on the inside. We also visited the Grand Bazaar but actually preferred the local spice markets for both price and cultural feel. These markets had a lot less ...

... and saw ....a closed on Wednesdays sign. Total bummer. We decided to go to Ortakoy, a small village where my friend Peter lives. The party split up, and Hannah and I finally found some of the trinkets we were looking for. Hannah bought a headscarf and a couple evil eyes - not actually eyes or evil- and I finally got a pair of sunglasses for 10 lira. They say Okley on the side, but I would be very surprised. Peter and his girlfriend Rachel met back up with us ...

... taking us to the entrance and literally taking off my shoes, we finally had to tell him thank you, but we didn't want to go to his shop at the moment. He then resorted to flattery (he said he wasn't use to seeing an American woman who was slim. He wasn't the only man who tried that line). We did give him a small tip for his trouble and he went on his way and left us to explore on our own. The Blue ...

arrived on time thanks to Turkish Airlines - what a thrill to be assigned a seat compared with the 'budget' alternatives. AND we were fed on the way! Airport spotless, taxi to hotel fast, room wonderful, with courtyard aspect and views of the sea. It all starts well............

... coffee and a chat. I so rarely get the chance to speak English these days.". We joined him in his miniscule shop and vaguely noticed a picture of him with Laura Bush (George W's missus). It turned out that he was a lecturer in English at Istanbul Uni and now, apart from an antiques business, worked occasionally for the various embassies. He was a fascinating character - a Christian Armenian. We talked for an hour and a half and it seemed to pass in seconds. An ...

... treaty between the Egyptians and the Hittites. Monday (Sept 24) Today involved a day trip out to the Princes Islands, which is a group of islands located only 12km southeast of Istanbul. During the latter half of the 19th century several wealthy expatriates settled on the island, and as a result the islands are full of attractive looking mansions with leafy streets and gardens. A group of 5 of us from the hostel made ...