What was the perfect way to end my three month trip to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia?

Of course it was a four night talking, walking, shopping and eating blitz in Istanbul with my friend Viveka!

Drive in from the airport.

Viveka flew in from Sweden a few hours before my flight arrived from Tbilisi, and had a cold beer and warm hug waiting for me!

Since we had both done all the major sites in Istanbul before, we could happily walk past the brutally long +31oC lineups for Ayasofya Camii (Hagia Sophia),

Hagia Sophia (537 AD) was an Orthodox and Catholic church until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1435.

They added minarets and it became a mosque until 1935. Then it was a museum until Erdogan converted it to a mosque again in 2020.

What we didn’t know was a major religious holiday was starting the next day, and many shops would be closed for four days.

Eid al-Adha (Sacrifice Eid) commemorates the devotion and sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).

So we headed to Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar) and the Spice Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar (1455) had 61 covered streets and 4000 shops, but it spreads into all the streets around it too.

Persistent carpet salesman.

Repairing old carpets.

Time for a Turkish coffee – served with water and a piece of Turkish delight.

Spice Bazaar (1664)

With all the carpets around, how could I refuse buying this 90 year old Syrian one!

It’s woven and covered with chain stitch.

Completing the sale with Syrian coffee.

It was also interesting to talk to the owner who moved to Turkey during the war. He would love to move back but thinks of his children. They have grown up in Turkey and it is home to them.

Viveka with her new hat.

Suleymaniye Mosque (16th century)

Many carts selling boiled/roasted corn and roasted chestnuts.

Theodosius Dikilitaş – Egyptian obelisk with circa 1400 BC hieroglyphics, re-erected here in the 4th century AD.

Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) (1616).

We arrived during a call to prayer, and were delighted that we could enter without waiting in a line.

The next morning we bought a transit card (10 rides for 110 lira (less than 4€) and took the trolley to the end of line.

We probably should have used the Metro too instead of climbing up to Taksim! We were definitely looking for shade!

Taksim Mosque (2021) was in the process of being built when I was here in 2019.

Time for juice frappe – lemon mint and pineapple.

Lunch with no appetite in the heat.

Turkish delight and baklava displays.

Galata Tower was built as a watch tower in 1348. It’s had many renovations, and now functions as a museum. You can climb the 16 stories to look over the city, if you want to wait and pay.

Turkish ice cream is made with mastic which keeps it from melting but it’s also very sticky.

It’s so much fun to watch the vendor tease the customer by twirling it up out of their hands.

This lad had only got an empty cone!

Simits are like a thin bagel coated in sesame seeds.

Finally, a proper dinner with salad, chicken, lamb and puffy bread.

Rose oil perfume.

The Grand Post Office was built between 1905-1909 as the largest post office in Turkey.

Vilayet Camii (1868)

Day 3 we took a boat ride up the Golden Horn (little channel on the left) and then down the Bosporus to the second bridge before the Black Sea.

It was one hour up/down the Golden Horn, one hour to the bridge, one hour stop, and one hour back.

After +31, 20oC felt very chilly!

The Galata Bridge was busy with a trolley crossing in between the vehicle lanes, then seafood restaurants all along the lower level.

Going under the Atatürk Bridge.

Grand Medidiye Mosque.

Kempinski Palace.

Beylerbeyi Palace (19th century), another of the summer residences for Ottoman sultans.

Cruise port.

Rumeli Fortress (15th century)

You too could shoot a BB gun at balloons in the water!

We had an hour stop by the Fortress, and had a fixed price lunch for 260 lira (€9) that included lentil soup, salad, a main, water, Ayran (yogurt drink) and the best bread!

They ordered it from the boat so was served immediately and we could enjoy it at our leisure at a nice outdoor restaurant.

I had the Kofte meatballs and Viveka had chicken.

We discovered all the little street shops were open and crazy busy!

It was fascinating to watch the trolley fly up and down the street without a single guardrail.

We were walking past one of costume photography shops, and I tried to snap a sneak photo. But the man invited me in and posed with his baby! So sweet!

Water fountain with the Blue Mosque behind.

Then looking the other side to Hagia Sophia.

Our last dinner. Salad, grilled meats and Manti (little meat filled pasta).

We were so stuffed we couldn’t finish dinner, but they still brought us baklava and Turkish tea.

Welcoming committee at our hotel.

They treat cats well too.

Time flew by but we both felt we had a long time in Istanbul.

It was great but then it was time for Viveka to head to one airport, and an hour later I left.

Istanbul Airport opened in 2019, and I was there the week it opened.

It has more than 64 million passengers in 2022, which makes it one of the busiest airports in the world.

Three panels, so 54 departures in a two hour period.

That is one departure every two minutes!

And most fascinating mix of destinations!

Then a flight to Gatwick to stay until my flight to Canada tomorrow morning.

It’s been a fantastic trip!

But time to go home for a haircut and some different clothes!