My friend Leib wanted to spend his birthday week in Istanbul and it was just enough. We saw the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofya church/mosque, Yerbatan Sarnici underground cistern, Topkapi Palace, and five synagogues. Another highlight was a ferry ride up the Bosphoros strait, the boundary between the European and Asian continents. I'd say that Istanbul feels closer to Europe than Asia.
Besides amazing history and architecture, Istanbul also has good (albeit expensive) shopping with its Egyptian and Covered Bazaars and the Taksim square/Istiklal Cadessi pedestrian area.
The people are welcoming and appreciate the few words of Turkish I've learned -- so far I'm enjoying Turkey. Leib has just left for home and I have another two weeks here for Ephesus and Cappadocia before I fly back to Israel.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Istanbul, Turkey
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment