Alone one afternoon in the ancient part of Istanbul I was wandering the streets behind the magnificent Blue Mosque. The neighbourhood behind the Mosque is a bit quieter with beautiful hotels and residential buildings to spread out the carpet and pottery shops. Here there is no street food, only restaurants; there are no vendors of knock-off merchandise, only salesmen of fine Turkish goods. Istanbul is basically a labyrinth of streets and it’s not possible to follow any walking tour printed in a book, but what it does offer is a surprise waiting around every corner. I was casually strolling [...]

Who doesn’t make a beeline straight for a Turkish Bath when in Istanbul? I mean really, I’ve waited for this as long as I’ve known I would be here. It’s my third day in Istanbul and for the first time I’m not walking around like a zombie, but zombie-like from jet lag or not, it hasn’t stopped me from walking the streets of the ancient city soaking up every square inch of the sights, sounds and aromas. I’m loving Istanbul. Today was the day for my Turkish Bath. I had no idea what to expect so I marched down [...]

More than 13 million call Istanbul their home. The noisy streets are swarming with people, worn with character, dusty from its sheer antiquity and loaded with culture. For an old city, it moves pretty quickly. In fact, things happen so fast that if you blink, you may miss the monkey sitting comfortably on his master’s shoulder as he walks down a laneway or the man delivering Turkish coffees on an antique brass tray through the crowded streets. In between the sounds of traffic and the rumblings of hand deliveries are the ancient sounds of wailing. Periodically and throughout the [...]