Intoxicating Istanbul

I came back from Istanbul yesterday evening...I was there from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon, about 3 days in total. we saw and did so much that it would be impossible for me to blog everything down here, but i will post the link to the photos in a couple of days when i get down to it. just imagine a city speckled with magnificent buildings and sights like this:


(haghia sophia above, and the blue mosque below)



for now, my (almost) immediate thoughts are that istanbul is a fabulously intoxicating city. everything there is meant to transport you to another world - a world of past glories and opulent lifestyles...from the gorgeous mosques and palace to the entertainment, food and drink that is everywhere. i think this picture tells a thousand words....



the other great thing about istanbul is that there are cats EVERYWHERE! they love cats! our hotel, the Hotel Empress Zoe itself, had 2 resident cats, one of which had breakfast with us when he felt like it...here is Jasper the 14 year old cat! cute little old man...(as usual i don't know how to invert the photo)



all in all i'd say i had a fantastic time. partly because of the sights and sounds of istanbul, but mostly because of the great company i had on the way. RK, her sister Upneet, and JJ make great travel companions and being in their company for the last few days really reminded me of the great company in the office that i have missed over the last couple of months.


(us having 'tantuni' at a little local makan shop in taksim district)

so until we meet again, dear friends, cheers to the memories and the wonderful time we had in Istanbul. :)