Istanbul

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We arrived in Istanbul last night without too much trouble, although our taxi unexpectedly went via a car ferry so we got a short trip across the Bosphorus from Haram to Eminonu. From there is was a short drive to our hotel which is in the heart of Sultanhmet (old town). The hotel is very nice and decorated in a traditional Turkish style. The bathroom could well win 'best shower ever'. Half is a usual bathroom, the other half is a walk-in wet room with floor to ceiling marble and a huge shower in the ceiling, complete with Turkish bath. They have a roof terrace where breakfast is served with lovely views across the water and city scape. We also look out onto The Blue Mosque.

Today we made our first exploration into Istanbul. It is fairly hot and humid so we wandered to Aya Sofya and looked around the mosque come museum. We found a nice spot for lunch and had our first Turkish cuisine. Simon went straight for the mixed grill, maximising his meat in-take, plus chips and rice. I opted for some chicken and rice dish which was nice, albeit with some indistinguishable pulp on the side (potentially blended aubergine). In the afternoon we continued to explore and walked over the Galata bridge. We stopped for some tea and baklava (tourist tick one) in the afternoon. The tea is very strong - a bit too strong for my liking but the hotel does a more drinkable version.

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