Istanbul at last!

April 18

Day 1

Arrived in istanbul and boy what a crazy city. It's the very western part of the country and has some european influence. A small strip separates between the european side and the asian side. The street are narrow and crowded and old and vibrant.

The next day we took a 1 day tour of the city which was the best thing to do. It's a little too big to get around and you could waste some time using public transportation. The taxi drivers here are very corrupt and will rip off the tourist if given the opportunity. So getting picked up and taken around the major sights seemed the right thing to do. So glad we did it.

First stop was the spice bazaar. It's a strip of stalls selling all sort of goodies including spices, turkish delights (honey based chewy candy), tiles,etc etc. The vendors are aggressive and you really have to be strong. Well, I wasn't so strong and ended up buying candy and lots of spices. Can't wait to try them out at home. The grilled meats here have an amazing flavor so I'm hoping....