Blog 127

I was wondering the streets of Istanbul, when a brown faced gentleman with a fragrant moustache stopped me and said "would sir be interested in a kebap, sir?" The answer of course was yes. And with Turkish delight he knocked me up a sandwich. This master of the skewered meat then asked if "sir would like Turkish sauce sir" and with a simple yes I changed my life for the better. TURKISH SAUCE!!

After more than a year out of the continent, it felt fantastic to be back in a cosmopolitan European city. Oh how I once took pedestrian crossings for granted and what a marvellous feeling it was to walk through streets that didn't run with s***.

The first stop on Jo's agenda was bed (still suffering with Delhi belly). So with an afternoon to my self I wandered over to Istanbul Modern, for a bit of culture. I got back and Jo was a good egg and battled on with her unpredictable bum situation! So her first look of Istanbul was from the heights of the Galata tower where we watched the sun set behind a skyline of onion domed mosques and the boat-busy Bosphorus.

5 whole days in Istanbul, we were in no rush to cram the sightseeing, so at a gentle pace we discovered the best of Istanbul in its autumn gold. Highlights of the city included:

• Blue mosque, a beautiful building tainted by the smell of cheesy feet.

• Basilica Cistern, a subterainean labyrinth of Gothic pillars made eerie by ghostly lights and the sound of dripping water

• Daily McCafe stop for hot chocolate/coffee to warm out cockles

• Aya Sofia, this cavernous domed building is home to a one eyed cat and is the ultimate place for a game of hide and seek

• A daily dose of roasted chestnuts from the chestnut man on the street.

• Souvenir hunting in the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar.

• 2 kebabs a day to keep the hunger at bay (or 1 banana in Jo's case, as it was about all she could keep down).

• A twilight cruise up the Bosphorus to admire Istanbul with its lights on

• and a peruse through the Sultans jewels as we discovered the true meaning of the word lacklustre at Topkapi Palace.

The 2°c temperature was a jolt back to reality, and a sudden realisation that winter in England probably wasn't the greatest time to leave Asia. Although beginning to see signs of Christmas has gotten us both even more excited for our home coming.

Love Bryn and Jo x