Sunday After breakfast we left the hostel early to make the most of the few hours Karen and Carolyn had left in Istanbul so we headed to some of Sultanhamet's most famous and popular sites. First up was the Blue Mosque, so called for the blue tiles that cover the domes and walls on the outside of the beautiful building. I found it surprising that although they were enforcing the removal of shoes and covering of legs and shoulders, women were walking around witho...

We sadly had to leave Goreme early as we had a long day of travelling ahead of us in order to reach Istanbul. At about lunchtime we reached to outskirts of Ankara, which Ataturk chose as his capital. The bus stopped at a large shopping mall in order to allow us to have lunch. After passing through metal detectors upon entry, I am a little ashamed to say I had a Big Mac. Turkish food is delicious but after a week I was ready for something different, plus my tummy ...