It took a long time to get here and I was pretty stuffed when I got here. If U are coming to Istanbul don't fly Qatar cos they fly to the wrong airport. There are 2 airports in Istanbul and one you can get on the train into town the other is a mission. If you are lucky you can get shuttle bus but mostly you have to take at least bus to Taksim then train and maybe a taxi from there.
The hotel I am is is pretty poor. It is a brilliant location, right behind the Blue Mosque and on a walking street with tram stop at the front. door. That is the good bit. The hotel has no carpet or soft furnishings so the sound carries through the whole place. To say my room is small is is an understatement. The bathroom is smaller than my shower recess at home and when the door opens it hits the bed and I have to turn sideways to get in. The light switch is on the other side of the room but I can still reach it from in bed. (there you go I found a positive in the room)

On the flight up from Doha I thought it was strange to see snow on the mountains. In southern Iran, Iraq and even central Turkey the mountains still had snow which seems crazy cos we always think of these places as hot, flat desert.

I went to bed early last night so I feeling OK this morning so I will be heading out after breakfast to explore. Istanbul is a huge city of 18 million people and has some amazing old buildings and markets to see.