Goodbye Turkey

Pete and our new friend Ali ...

We have spent the last 2 days back in Istanbul ... we fly out to Nepal in a few hours ... always last minute stress and panic. I can feel my anxiety up a little as we pack ... have we got the right paperwork etc. Getting the right shuttle and arriving in plenty of time for our flight etc. Trying to be Zen about it all ... I am not sure that it is working. Pete has gone out to try and get passport photos of us printed ... we forgot to do that! We have the photos on our computer, not in hardcopy though. I thought I would take the time to do our last blog for Turkey.

We met Ali as we were waiting for our bus from Eceabat to Istanbul. He was having some issues with his pack and he came over to look at ours and see if he could figure out his. Ali is the friendliest person we have met in a long time. Ali and Pete started chatting about Gallipoli and war and that was it. When we arrived in Istanbul he helped us get to Taksim Square, it just so happened he lived there! He very generously offered to meet us the next day and take us on a walking tour of Istanbul. We said yes. We had a fabulous day with him and his sister Ismihan.

We started our day at a very old hotel in Taksim ... we stopped there for a drink and chat.

   Here we all are with our drinks ... the weather is much, much cooler. I really felt cold for the first time in months.

The hotel ... it is beautiful.

We visited a Catholic Church and I saw this statue ... I liked it.

We read about Fish Sandwiches from Istanbul in Lonely Planet ... I really wanted to try them when we first arrived in Istanbul, but Pete was a little dubious ... he was worried about getting a sick stomach. But on our walk about today with Ali and Ismihan this happened ... peer pressure!

He did it and was not sick ...

Yummy ... Turkish Delight and Turkish Pastry sooooo delicious.

Fishing off the bridge is quite the thing in Istanbul ...

There are quite a few children begging around Sultanahmet. They are Syrian refugees apparently. Pete gets really upset at this sight.

Our guides for the day ...  they brought Istanbul alive for us. Thank you for sharing our day with us ... we had fun.

Walking to Taksim Square ... so crowded!

Buskers and their audience who look totally riveted ...

Here on a very busy street is a house that is falling apart ... held up by it's neighbours. Could be Christchurch.

Street Art ...

Our last evening in Istanbul ... we had a really great meal here with Zahra who we met at Butterfly Valley. A perfect way to end our time here in Turkey.

These are so yummy ... thick slab of chocolate on the top and a generous lump in the bottom of the cone. We love these ... a treat for us. Ice cream and chocolate a perfect combination. What doesn't chocolate go with. Goodbye Cornetto.

We stayed in a really cool apartment ... Airport B&B, while staying in Taksim Square, this was the view from our room.

The bedhead on our bed ... Mahogany ... we thought it was beautiful ... the bed wasn't though. We have slept in some very uncomfortable beds since travelling.

I love space ... I hate clutter ... I guess I am a minimalist ... can cause some tense moments between Pete & I. The lounge where we were staying

The door to the apartment we stayed in. What about this for an entrance way?

I have taken these photos of our accommodation for the girls in our family, including extended ... I thought they would like some of the design. I need to slow down when I take photos though, this one could have been more centred.

The entrance ... there are 5 floors with about 2 apartments on each floor.

The main entrance ... apparently our accommodation was in a dodgy part of Taksim ... we never noticed.

Farewell Turkey ... we had a fabulous time! Lovely people, great weather, fascinating history, fabulous beaches and places to visit.