This gallery contains 22 photos.

August 11, 2012: The Taksim Square was a walking distance from our hotel. On our way back from the boat ride we arrived at the Taksim square. It is the main hub of all the activities in this part of Istanbul. The tourists are delighted to see shops, protestors, and the street performers here. Taksim […]

This gallery contains 27 photos.

August 11, 2012 The boat ride we took to see the Bosphorus bridge was the most refreshing boat rides we had taken. Not only it lasted for 1.5 hours but it also offered one of the most beautiful coastal views. The feeling of being in this part of the world on a boat near the […]

This gallery contains 18 photos.

August 11, 2012: The day started with Dr. Arpad and wife picking us from our hotel. We went through the city to get to the Grand Bazaar. It was indeed a very unique experience. The Grand Bazaar is a huge market all covered and shops of all possible things a tourist can think of. The […]

This gallery contains 2 photos.

August 10, 2012: Dr. Arpad and his wife Isil made all of us feel at home in Istanbul. There were there with us for tow days and showed us Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, and found for us a very nice boat ride to Bosphorus bridge. Isil had prepared a very […]

This gallery contains 28 photos.

August 10, 2012: The Topkapi Palace was so big that is was impossible to see everything in one day. After few hours we rested in a very elegant restaurant set at the east side of the palace overlooking the Sea of Marmara. From here we could see the famous Bosphorus bridge. We had a wonderful […]

This gallery contains 31 photos.

August 10, 2012: After visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) we wanted to visit the Hagia Sophia which was across the mosque but the line was too long so we decided to proceed to Topkapi Palace. In this palace there were so many things to see. It took several hours to go through different […]

This gallery contains 30 photos.

August 10, 2012 In Istanbul there was so much to see and we wanted to get the most out of our time there. We were very fortunate to have Dr. Arpad and his wife Isil as our hosts. They were so gracious to take us for two days to show us as much of Istanbul […]

This gallery contains 3 photos.

August 9th, 2012: After a long day coming from Bulgaria to Istanbul and many hours at the border we really wanted a good authentic Turkish Dinner with Kebab and Rice. We asked the concierge at the hotel. They recommended a restaurant called “HAACCI BABA” (pronounced Haji Baba). With the name and the location near the […]

This gallery contains 9 photos.

At 1:10 pm on August 9, 2012 we entered Turkey. After 9 days on the road from London, traveling 2,192 miles we were crossing the border of Bulgaria and entering Turkey on a warm, bright and a sunny afternoon. The familiar red flag of Turkey with its crescent was everywhere on the buildings on the […]