Finally made it to Istanbul, albeit 4 hours late. Hopefully the airport
pickup we had arranged is still waiting for us. After we parted with
90euros (about $112) for entry visas, we made it to passport control
(along with a few hundred others). Surprisingly the process was fairly
quick and efficient. Couldn't say the same about the baggage system
though. By the time we retrieved our bags and made it through to the
arrivals gate, it had been over an hour since we had landed.

A quick search for someone holding a sign with our name on it yielded nil
results. "Great", we thought, "Our pick up must have been tired of
waiting and left." Eventually though we spotted him amongst the myriad
of other sign holders.

Wasn't long before we were heading for our apartment, Blue Eye Suites in Sultanahmet.

After a full (and wasted) day of airports and traveling, finally arrived at
the apartment, home for the next 6 days. Spent a 1/2 hour or so stowing
our stuff away then set off for a quick tour of the neighborhood to get
our bearings and find something to eat. Immediate surrounds are full of
shops, cafes/restaurants, hotels and apartment buildings. Some old, some
new, and some which look like they should be condemned. Just the sort
of place in which we want to stay. Finally feels like we are starting
our trip proper.

Can't wait to start exploring properly tomorrow.

29/11/2012 - Today was our first day of real exploring. Our citywide alarm clock woke
us promptly at 5:30am - the early morning call to prayer ringing out
over the city. Initially it seems rather annoying, but as you are lying
there listening to the rise and fall of the call, it has a rather
calming effect (no, we're not being converted). After a lazy start to
the day (including breakfast of cheeses, meats, and breads being
delivered to our room), we did a quick google search and decided on
where to go and what to see. Two of the must sees of Istanbul are the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Museum.
Both seem to be within walking distance, so with map in hand off we
went to navigate the tangled street system that is Istanbul.

Surprisingly, it wasn't too long before we found our way there. Along the way we had a taste of what was to come by visiting Little Hagia Sophia.
An elderly Turkish man kindly showed us around the mosque. We couldn't
understand a word he was saying, but it was obvious he was taking great
pride in telling us about his place of worship.

Leaving Little Sophia we headed for the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia Museum. By
the time we got there (after stopping for the obligsatory cup of
coffee) the Mosque was closed to visitors during prayer time. After
fobbing off an "Official Mosque Guide" who assured us that he could get
us into the mosque during prayer time, we headed over to the Sophia
Museum for a look. Proved to be quite breathtaking. The detail in the
friezes and mosaics was quite incredible. Standing in the middle of the
structure one is overwhelmed by a sense of history, both Christian and
Islamic.

Once again we negotiated our way through the thronbg of "official mosque guides" to take a wander through the Blue Mosque. Again, historically and architecturally quite breathtaking.

Feeling satisfied with our days excursion we headed back to the apartment for a bit of R&R before heading out for supper.

30/11/2012 - Nice day for a boat ride today. Decided to do a ferry trip up the Bosphorous channel. Not much to say except that it was a relaxing few hours, just chugging up the strait, admiring the views along the way.

Went to to the Grand Bazaar after we got back (one more city's public transport system deciphered).

It's huge. Neverending. Seems to go on forever. And so do the touts and
hawkers. Knock-off flavour of the month seems to be perfume. Every 10
meters we are being accosted by all manner of unsavoury characters,
trying to sell us everything from Chanel to Hugo Boss fragrances, and
all for just 10euros too. After about 10minutes of fending them off and
seeing nothing but knock off jewellery and clothing shops we decided
enough was enough and left. Maybe it was a GRAND bazaar once, but now it
seems cheap and tawdry.

News flash. We've decided to cut short our visit to Istanbul and head for Rome earlier than
planned. This is not to say that Istanbul is not worth visiting. It is. Especially the older part of the city, Sultanahmet. Its loud, noisy, disorganized, hectic, chaotic. But ooooooh so interesting. If you are looking to immerse yourself into the Turkish culture, then this is the place to come to.