Istanbul

We had three nights in Istanbul after we got off the boat. It was such an interesting place, always something different to see. There was a real mixture of people and cultures, and everyone was very helpful if you needed something. A lot spoke English quite well, one guy we bought something from at the market invited us to have an apple tea with him so he could practice his English on us. Most of the market people know enough English to get you to notice them and what they are selling and try to lure you in "Yes please" was the common cry to get you to notice them, and once there is eye contact it's hard to break away.
We did an open deck bus tour, and a Bosphorus boat tour (that was a bit dodgey), and spent a bit of time in the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. The markets were amazing, just millions of stalls, it was good just to wander around and get lost amongst it.

This was a turkish delight stall at the spice market. Just rows and rows of stalls, and millions of people.

We had a day trip to Gallipoli, it was very very moving. The tour guide was Turkish, of course, but we were mostly shown the ANZAC side of the war. This monument basically said that although your soliders are buried here far from home we will hold them dear and they won't be alone. There was such a huge loss of life from both sides, and after WW1 there was an enormous culture change in Turkey to be more harmonious, multi-cultural and tolerant.

We went to see a Whirling Dervish show. I don't know what I was expecting but there was quite a ritual that went along with it. It was very peaceful, and mesmerising.

We really liked Turkey and would definitely like to go back one day. We only saw such a little bit of it, and would really like to see more.