Next stop on our trip was a visit to the amazing city of Istanbul, on the very edge of Europe as it meets the Middle East and Asia.
We spent a day seeing all the sights, the huge ornate mosques, the Sultans palace, and an incredible underground reservoir completely preserved from the Roman 6th century which is eerily lit up. We were staying in the very cool hipster area of Beyoglu right near Taksim square (which was completely safe for tourists by the way) and enjoyed lots of tasty food nearby. We ventured across the mighty Bosphorus to the 'Asian side', checked out the bazaars, and enjoyed kebab after kebab!
We also had a day trip to Gallipoli to tour the battlefields of the Anzacs which was really interesting, seeing the harsh landscape and sites of huge battles taking place in spaces no wider than a tennis court was very moving. Our guide talked to us from the Turkish point of view too which was interesting to hear, and we visited some sites important to them not just us which gave a good balance.
We just left Istanbul via train to Eastern Europe, but that will have to wait...
L + D
The Blue Mosque
There were hundreds of fish in barely half a metre of water
Creepy
Looking up the Bosphorus
Just a little ice cream for wa-wa
Taksim square
The final resting place of John Simpson aka Simpson and his donkey
The remnants of an original Anzac trench
The very cool Istiklal St in Beyoglu
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