Back in Istanbul town

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As luck would have it I’m back in Istanbul, just six short months since the last visit. This time I’m staying up near Taksim Square which is one of the main meeting places in Istanbul.Over the course of a week I'm sure that every one of Istanbul’s 20 million people walk along it at some time. The place is a constant sea of people strolling from one end to the other people watching, window shopping or eating.

The flight over was the usual 36 hours from door to door, after a while you just get into the groove of a long flight and make the best of sardine class. The highlight was the brief stop in Zurich where the pilot was kind enough to announce that it was a beautiful day with the temperature 2oC above zero. Those of on the plane who had just left the Australian spring may have had a slightly different interpretation of “beautiful” than the pilot.

Unfortunately the sightseeing in Istanbul this time round has been limited to Taksim Square and a nice little patch of the Bosphorous. This is due to the main reason of this part of the trip being to throw some colour into the sky for Turkey’s National Day. Most of the day is spent preparing for the show, with the nights spent walking along Taksim square grabbing a bite to eat then crashing ready to do the whole process again the next day.

But it is great just taking in the sights and sounds of this fabulous city. Not to mention the joy of watching the rest of the crew relish in the sites and sounds of Istanbul. Hopefully we'll get a chance to head over to the European side of Istanbul one evening, but at the moment Taksim Square is just too convenient.

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Photos

Taksim Square
Taksim Square is really a mall with a tram running through the centre

Water cannon
Istanbul reminds me of Sydney during APEC at times

The weather has been nice
Each day we have been getting the benefit of a shower or two to keep us cool

The site
This is where we entertain ourselves during the day