We were up early, packed and at breakfast much earlier than on previous days, not wanting to waste a minute of our last few hours. We savoured one last plateful of delicious, fresh fruit and enjoyed that wonderful view which was still very special in spite of a few clouds in the sky.

After breakfast we had time for a last stroll down to the Hippodrome where we took a last wander through the Arts and Crafts fair and ended up buying a couple of painted tiles before returning to the hotel and boarding our transfer taxi to the airport.

We said goodbye with some regret as we have truly enjoyed our short visit to Istanbul. It is a remarkable city with equally remarkable people. However, we both agree that our enjoyment of our trip has been greatly increased by the location in which we were staying. Not the hotel itself although we have no complaints, but being in Sultanahmet and within easy walking distance of everything you would ever care to see has made all the difference between a good trip and a great one.

Our outward trip through Ataturk airport was much simpler and speedier than our inward one and before we knew it we were on our way back home once more.