Between flights in Dubai Bryce takes a well deserved nap after spending all night playing computer games on the flight there

Dubai from the air

Istanbul - Sultanhammet (The Old City)

The Blue Mosque from our hotel

An awe inspiring building both inside and out.

The Marama Sea

Some of the buildings here are so old you don't know how they stay up although I'm sure some won't. But this is the oldest area.

The wall on the right is part of the wall which surrounded the Hippodrome which is up the hill to the right of this photo

Mikaela & Bryce in front of the Blue Mosque

The gate and wall surrounding the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque and what it is famous for

Little ornate lights overhead light the inside of the mosque

The elaborate mosaics are what I most wanted to see and I did with more amazement than expected

One of the many ornate lights

Hague Sophia

Originally a Christian Church was later converted into a mosque when the Christians were run out of town

An ornate ceiling in Topkapi Palace

The Harem - Topkapi Palace

A gold bird cage

The grounds of Topkapi Palace

A solid gold entrance like nothing you've ever seen before.

These had the most elaborate carvings I've ever seen on a gun

A nasty little weapon

The Sultans boudoir

The Gardens surrounding the palace

Looking out over the Bospharus

The Palace Kitchens

This also included where they made the ceramics

Topkapi Palace Gate

My kids would find animals to play with wouldn't they

Despite not having many pets the what we would call stray cats are fairly well cared for by everyone, We watched most of the locals feeding, patting leaving food on little ceramic plates out the front of shops. But then this is a city that employees people to keep the streets clean and empty rubbish bins before they get too full.

The obelisk - it's of Egyptian origan from memory it was bought to Istanbul by a Roman emperior in 4th century AD and in the reign of Theodosius I it was erected in the Hippodrome

Sitting at the end of the Hippodrome

Proof that it was us that went :o)

A very modern tram system now at work on some very old roads made of cobble stones

I love the houses they are very unique to Turkey and the colours of some of them are wonderful and bright

The Cistern

The upside-down Medusa

It is still not known why there are the two medusas' on the pillars

Back on the streets

Back at the hotel the resident cat has trapped and kidnapped Bryce

The old wall to the hippodrome on the left, the Blue Mosque in the background and in the foreground an array of restaurants. One an authentic Turkish Tent (a white marquee) but the inside was decked out in couches and little tables and stools with people in the corner playing games and smoking from their big bronze pipes and passing it on. Felt a bit out of place as this is where the locals go, but it is good to get out of the comfort zone and experience what the locals do.

The Blue Mosque at night

The Grand Bazaar

This is one amazing place and a wonderful one at that, amusing at times with some of the venders but I would go back here in a heart beat.

What ever you don 't drink this stuff!

It's a Cherry drink that we all hated, we didn't want it but to get the photo we had to pay for it.

The very old Obelisk

You can tell how old it is by how much further it is in the ground, well where the street level was when it was placed there.

The staircase in the hotel we were staying at