Enjoying Life in Istanbul, Turkey

From the Left: Me, Annie, David, Gabriela and Mustapha

We are now settled in our apartment and enjoying Bagdad Street and its environs. The pavement cafés are heaving both day and night and there is a holiday atmosphere in the air as people promenade up and down the wide walkways beneath the huge trees lining the road. On Sunday evening, we were even regaled by an operatic recital in the small plaza next door but one. We are also only a short walk away from the Sea of Marmara, where we take our evening stroll. As we look out to sea, the lights of the Prince's Islands beckon and twinkle; we will definitely be visiting them soon! The path along the sea front has been developed for walking, running and cycling, and there are also exercise points and a roller blade rink, so David is thrilled that he has a great place to run!

We were delighted to have lunch with Gabriela and Mustapha on Sunday. We were saying goodbye to other friends, Annie and Fatih, before they left for Australia. Unfortunately, we only got to see Fatih briefly as he had to finish a sculpture he is entering into an exhibition in Melbourne, and it need to be packed for shipping. Although Gabriella and Mustapha live on the European side, overlooking the Black Sea, we found it quick and easy to reach them by travelling on the ferries across and along the Bosphorus. The meal was delicious and we had such a good time catching up – it was as if we had never left!

The view of the Topkapi Palace as we arrived on the European side.

The sun was setting over the Aya Sophia as we reached the Asian side of the Bosphorus.