I traveled to Istanbul last week to meet with my team from work, and as my friend Gracie would say, I was Turkish delighted. The city’s history stretches back almost 1700 years, its population is twice that of New York City, and the city straddles two continents: we stayed on the European side of the city, and we were able to hop on a ferry to take a day trip to Asia. The city is full of riches: ancient history, architecture, culture, food, cats*. It stimulated every sense, at all times.
Mosaic and tile at Istanbul Archaeology MuseumDoor to tile building at Istanbul Archaeology MuseumTurkish tea setsAt the Grand BazaarLamp shop at the Grand BazaarCat 7 of 492Turkish DelightAt the Grand BazaarTurkish Breakfast, first courseLeaving Europe to go to AsiaLeaving the Europe side, about to cross the Bosphorous. Our Airbnb was near the tower on the left (Galata Tower).Our team walked an hour on the Asia side of Istanbul to find this cat statue.In the antique districtSidewalk backgammonAt the ferry dock on the Europe sideGraffiti at the pier; we walked by this wall each time we crossed the Golden Horn (an inlet of the Bosphorous River) to get to the Grand Bazaar and mosquesKitty outside my favorite coffee shopBooks and Coffee. I liked their coffee best.The view from our Airbnb: the Golden Horn waterway, Hagia Sofia mosque (maybe? maybe not — there were many mosques), and our resident seagull who squawked at us all day while we worked.
*The cats in Istanbul might have been my favorite part. See Kedi, a documentary with lots of beautiful footage of the city and its kitties. Also, our day trip to Asia included lunch at Ciya, featured in season 5 episode 2 of Chef’s Table. The food was phenomenal, but it’s not in this post; I was too busy eating to get any photos.
Fun fact, my first cat was named Kedi. I was 3ish when we got him and my dad asked me what I wanted to name him and I said “cat” because I was 3 and he was a cat. My dad decided to make it more interesting by using the Turkish word for cat, hence “Kedi”
Butterfly Mind 
One response to “Istanbul in color”
Beautiful photos of a beautiful place!
Fun fact, my first cat was named Kedi. I was 3ish when we got him and my dad asked me what I wanted to name him and I said “cat” because I was 3 and he was a cat. My dad decided to make it more interesting by using the Turkish word for cat, hence “Kedi”