The first night and Istanbul

The first view of Istanbul other than the taxi ride from the airport was from the hotel bedroom. There can be few more stunning night time city shots than the illuminated Mosques of Istanbul. Helped by the hotel's roof restaurant.

_________________________

From any angle the Blue Mosque is spectacular as the next four shots show 1) over the Sea of Marmaris, 2) over the Bosporus, 3) from the Bosporus and 4) past the Egyptian obelisque and the Roman 'hippodrome'.

Garth looks up.......firstly at the 'blue' interior which gives the mosque its name....

and at the unexpected Christian freasco - and finally the intricate decoration

A nice shot (right) but

somehow bagels didn't

seem to fit old Istanbul

_____________________________________

Springtime in Paris? or Tulips in Amsterdam? Try springtime tulips in Istanbul

We had chosen the busiest weekend of the year - Easter - to see Istanbul, not a special time in the Muslim calendar but a popular time for northern Europeans to visit this vibrant city. Joining day to day commuters together with visitors getting to the ferry and railway station was hard work.

But Istanbul had given us a great start to the trip