Bar night

Let it go
After Sabine left, I spent the morning cleaning my files, writing some mails, continuing some planning for the trip in a café, and then met up in the early evening with Cihan, a reader of my blog! He wanted to show me a couple of his favorite bars, and as I haven’t gone out in […] Read More

On my own again

Let it go
Last day for Sabine today. We slept and had a nice breakfast at a close-by hotel, then we headed for the airport, skipping the taxi this time but using the tram and metro. She’s heading back to Paris and on to Spain tomorrow, for the second half of her holidays, with her husband and her […] Read More

Up

Let it go
Every guide book we had told us not to do the trip to Princes Islands on a weekend. But we had our own mind an planning, and thought it can’t be that bad, as we’re still off season. Well. Ok, the boat was full, but not as crowded as the other ferry next to us. […] Read More

Bazaar

Let it go
Finally, the last thing on our list of big tourist stops: the Great Istanbul Bazaar. It’s a nice stroll through an old complex of buildings and corridors, halls and domes, all interconnected and basically turning a whole neighborhood into a market, an ancient shopping mall, so to speak. You can buy most anything a visitor […] Read More

Golden Horn

Let it go
We slept in today getting up at 10, and leaving the house at 12. That’s more my rhythm. I’d rather start the day late and go out late… Sabine’s a bit earlier… We caught the ferry along the golden Horn today – a full half hour ride for 1.75 TL… a bargain! It is a […] Read More

To the Black Sea

Let it go
Sabine and I got up early today, skipped breakfast and headed for the ferries, to get on the boat along the Bosphorus. We had to be there early to score a seat with a view… However, we were a bit lost with all the ferries on offer, and all the guys trying to sell us their […] Read More

As time goes by…

Let it go
Sabine and I strolled into a most interesting art exhibition today, more or less by accident, looking for another gallery. We saw Christian Marclay’s The Clock today. He made a 24-hour-movie, assembled by countless snippets of other movies, in which a scene indicates a certain time, shows a clock, wristwatch… The movie is shown around the clock […] Read More

Under ground

Let it go
Back into the old town for the third day in a row, we went to the Archeological Museum today, maxing out our Museum card, then had a stroll downhill to the little Hagia Sophia mosque, and through a small bazaar. However, the highlight of the day surely was underground: we visited the ancient Basilika cistern […] Read More

Imperial

Let it go
Today being the first fully sunny day, we nonetheless visited Topkapi, the Imperial Palace at the heart of Istanbul’s old town. As the palace is surrounded by a huge park, and spread over many buildings, we enjoyed a good mix of visits of buildings and exhibitions and strolls through the park, sitting in the sun. […] Read More

Old town

Let it go
I feel like we did it all in one day. We walked through Beyoglu and down to a little local fish market, where they sold fresh catch, sometime still alive and wriggling… Sabine had a spicy fish sandwich, and the birds enjoyed a snack, too. Over the bridge, and after the last drops of rain, […] Read More

Introducing Sabine

Let it go
After another day of rain, I took the tram and metro today to go back to the airport, to wait for my sister. She’ll be here for ten days and we’ll explore the city together. Back home, we decided to stay in for dinner, I whipped up some mac ‘n cheese and a salad. And […] Read More

Rain check

Let it go
I woke up pretty late – I sleep well in this bed – to the sound of pouring rain. The water was running down my street in front of my window. I spent most of the day inside and on the couch, reading, and eating. I only went to the supermarket to get some fruit, […] Read More