Istanbul: Sightseeing and Shopping

In addition to historical landmarks, I had fun seeing other sites and picking up some souvenirs during my trip to Istanbul. I especially enjoyed the city’s various markets—the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar were vibrant, overwhelming, and full of gorgeous displays of scarves, spices, Turkish delight and hand painted ceramics. I also spent a lovely afternoon at the Topkapi Palace, once the Sultan’s palaces, overlooking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

~ View of downtown Istanbul from where I stayed ~

~ Istanbul does Christmas ~

~ Topkapi Palace ~

~ Council Chamber ~

~ Sultan's library ~

~ View of the Bosphorus from the palace ~

~ Delightful Turkish bakery ~

~ Ceramics at the Spice Market ~

~ Night view across the Golden Horn ~

~ From European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul ~