Cultured and stuffed after Paris, we next headed for Istanbul. Swiss Air had decent food and wine, and we had the lounge in Zurich all to ourselves. We stayed at a hotel recommended by a friend – the Girmin Palas. It had an antique feel, and the most amazing breakfasts I’ve had in any hotel. The sights in Istanbul were surprisingly crowded given the cold and time of year. I can’t imagine being there in the summer. We hit all of the major tourist sites, and ended the year cruising up the Bospherus.
We both loved the food. The people were very friendly, especially the men. They were gregarious and funny, and many of them flirted with mom. I was starting to get tired of them asking if she was my wife (or sister) rather than my mother. She does look rather young for her age (which is actually quite young), but does that mean I look that much older than I am?! And I don’t think we had one meal at which they didn’t offer us something extra for nothing (tea, appetizer, dessert, etc.).
The mosaics in the Haggia Sophia were stunning:
It was quite nice on the outside as well:
The Blue Mosque:
It was so cold the wild cats were huddled together:
The haggling has been going on for 15 minutes. Mom is getting tired. The salesman moves in for the kill:
Up the Bosphorus:
Christmas lights in the square:
Beautiful
ReplyDelete