Istanbul

Day 1: We arrive at Istanbul's airport and ride by underground and tram to our hotel, the Yasmak Sultan Hotel in Sultanahmet. The Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern are real close and we visit them the same afternoon. In the evening we have dinner outside in Hoça Pasha and we buy some lokum(Turkish delight)and baklava to eat in our hotelrooms.

In the spring of 2010 we went to Istanbul for five days. It was a very nice short holiday. Here the journal of our travels, with lots of photos.
At this page an overview of the whole trip. Click on the text concerning a particular day or a photo to see the description of that day or just start at day 1. Most of the pictures on this page can be viewed in a larger format at the various day descriptions of this travelogue.

Day 2: Nico and the kids visit the Grand Bazaar, I am not feeling well and stay in the hotel. Later they go reading for a bit in the Gülhanepark and Nico and Roos both go to the Archeological museum.
In the evening we all have dinner together at Özler at the roofterrace and we go to have a look at the romantic Sirkeci railwaystation, former final stop of the famous Orient express.
Day 3: Early in the morning we are wandering through the courts of the Topkapi palace. In the afternoon we go to the Blue Mosque and afterwards make a cruise on the Bosphorus. We enjoy Eminonü at a sunday afternoon, have dinner again in Hoça Pasha and visit two puddingshops (Lale and a"real one").
Day 4: In the morning we take an organized tour to the Yedikule fortress, the Chora church(=Kariye museum) and Eyüp (Pierre Loti Café and the Eyüp Sultan mosque).
In the afternoon we go citycruising by ourselves again. Via the spicebazaar (or Misir Carsisi)we go to the "European" part( Beyoglu): starting at the Taksimsquare we walk through THE shopping street: Istiklal Caddesi. Afterwards we regard it all from above from the Galatatower and we have a meal in the trendy but cosy Tünel Gedici.
Day 5: By tram we travel to the opulent Dolmabahçe Palace. Then back to Sultanahmet, to the Hippodrome to eat corn and chestnuts on our last day and Nico has his shoes shined.
In the Museum for Turkish and Islamitic art we admire the tapestries and miniatures.
We buy our last souvenirs at the Grand Bazaar and in the end we go dog tired (but happy) to have tea in Lale Bahçesi teagarden, behind the Süleymaniye mosque.
We have dinner inside at our last night, Ottoman food, right around the corner at Pasazade.