A few short blocks away from the Istanbul Hippodrome is the Grand Bazaar, supposedly with 8000 shops. We were expecting / hoping for a rat’s nest of confusing narrow alleys packed with vendors selling all sorts of stuff. Like this: (Souk in Tunis) But instead we found a shopping mall: We did stop in to a leather shop, where Maria tried on some really beautiful red and black leather jackets, but could not find a size that worked. Upon exiting, we got a little bit of half-hearted hustling from the other leather vendors, but not the true Middle-Eastern harassment that is really part of the experience. We headed straight for…

We stayed just behind the Blue Mosque on a quiet side street, at the Kaftan Hotel. The location was great, an easy walk to the main sites, in a neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shops, yet on a quiet side street, so we didn’t get a lot of the racket we would have had we stayed in one of the many other nearby hotels. We were in Istanbul for 5 days and didn’t see everything we wanted to. We spent most of our time within walking distance of our hotel – there is a LOT to see all packed into a small area. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are…

Upon arrival at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, we hung around the domestic terminal for 5 hours to catch a flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is pretty rural, with beautiful landscapes that reminded us of Bryce Canyon in Utah. Instead of sandstone, the rocks are volcanic ash, not nearly as colorful, but the erosion effect is similar, as the “fairy chimneys” are eroded out of the surrounding material by the wind and rain. We stayed at the Cave Hotel Saksağan in Göreme. This was a cave room in a fairy chimney.    They arranged a rental car, so we were able to drive away from the Disney-esque bus crowds and see the region on our own.…

A few short blocks away from the Istanbul Hippodrome is the Grand Bazaar, supposedly with 8000 shops. We were expecting / hoping for a rat’s nest of confusing narrow alleys packed with vendors selling all sorts of stuff. Like this: (Souk in Tunis) But instead we found a shopping mall: We did stop in to a leather shop, where Maria tried on some really beautiful red and black leather jackets, but could not find a size that worked. Upon exiting, we got a little bit of half-hearted hustling from the other leather vendors, but not the true Middle-Eastern harassment that is really part of the experience. We headed straight for…

We stayed just behind the Blue Mosque on a quiet side street, at the Kaftan Hotel. The location was great, an easy walk to the main sites, in a neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shops, yet on a quiet side street, so we didn’t get a lot of the racket we would have had we stayed in one of the many other nearby hotels. We were in Istanbul for 5 days and didn’t see everything we wanted to. We spent most of our time within walking distance of our hotel – there is a LOT to see all packed into a small area. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are…

Upon arrival at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, we hung around the domestic terminal for 5 hours to catch a flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is pretty rural, with beautiful landscapes that reminded us of Bryce Canyon in Utah. Instead of sandstone, the rocks are volcanic ash, not nearly as colorful, but the erosion effect is similar, as the “fairy chimneys” are eroded out of the surrounding material by the wind and rain. We stayed at the Cave Hotel Saksağan in Göreme. This was a cave room in a fairy chimney.    They arranged a rental car, so we were able to drive away from the Disney-esque bus crowds and see the region on our own.…

A few short blocks away from the Istanbul Hippodrome is the Grand Bazaar, supposedly with 8000 shops. We were expecting / hoping for a rat’s nest of confusing narrow alleys packed with vendors selling all sorts of stuff. Like this: (Souk in Tunis) But instead we found a shopping mall: We did stop in to a leather shop, where Maria tried on some really beautiful red and black leather jackets, but could not find a size that worked. Upon exiting, we got a little bit of half-hearted hustling from the other leather vendors, but not the true Middle-Eastern harassment that is really part of the experience. We headed straight for…

We stayed just behind the Blue Mosque on a quiet side street, at the Kaftan Hotel. The location was great, an easy walk to the main sites, in a neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shops, yet on a quiet side street, so we didn’t get a lot of the racket we would have had we stayed in one of the many other nearby hotels. We were in Istanbul for 5 days and didn’t see everything we wanted to. We spent most of our time within walking distance of our hotel – there is a LOT to see all packed into a small area. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are…

Upon arrival at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, we hung around the domestic terminal for 5 hours to catch a flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is pretty rural, with beautiful landscapes that reminded us of Bryce Canyon in Utah. Instead of sandstone, the rocks are volcanic ash, not nearly as colorful, but the erosion effect is similar, as the “fairy chimneys” are eroded out of the surrounding material by the wind and rain. We stayed at the Cave Hotel Saksağan in Göreme. This was a cave room in a fairy chimney.    They arranged a rental car, so we were able to drive away from the Disney-esque bus crowds and see the region on our own.…