The City that Spans Two Continents

Istanbul is a must see for so many reasons. I been obsessed with going there for several years now to be in one of the most fascinating geographical locations on this planet. Anywho, I was really excited to get out of the comforts of Europe. I met an amazing group of people in my room at my hostel who made the trip even greater. Nick (another Aussie), Stef and Tim (Brits) and Claudia (Swiss) were a great bunch of companions who had so much travel advice to offer. They were all very laid back individuals longing to see as much of the world as they possibly can before getting caught up in settling down.
I was in and around Istanbul for almost a week before coming to Israel. My hostel was in Sultanahmet, the old part of the city, about 3 blocks away from the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. What was particularly amazing was the proximity to these places. There is a huge festival/market for Ramadan set up in the gardens between the two. About 200 vendors sell everything from yummy baklava, kebabs, falafel and other middle eastern varieties of food, scarves, jewelry, etc. There is even an open air theatre where they booked both traditional Turkish music artists and modern. Once the sun went down, that place was alive with a great array of Muslims from all over the Middle East and Europe. It was my favorite part of the city.
I also spent some time in the newer part of the city, across the bridge in Asia and down the Bosporus on the Prince's Islands, a vacation site for many wealthy Turks back in the early 1900s.

Here are some photos:


The Blue Mosque


Commercial Street on the Prince's Islands


My new friend Stef (right-green shirt) and me with host from good Turkish place near our hostel