Sadly this is our last full day in Istanbul. Each day brings new delights as we walk the city. My initial shock at the location of our apartment has faded (not entirely) and I’ve come to terms with the mind boggling contrasts of Istanbul. It would be interesting see what accommodations in the old city on the “Europe” side are like and how they are priced.

If you plan to stay in Beyoglu, the Dogan Studios is not a bad choice. The area is quite safe, the people reasonably friendly. It seems the Turks keep to themselves for the most part.

There is a talisman in the apartment to ward off the evil eye. A Turk I worked with told me about this. It’s a superstition the Turks subscribe to. This talisman, a blue circle with a pink outer circle and a jet black inner circle is meant to protect you from harm. We will bring one of these back with us. You can never have enough protection!

A word about cats. The Istanbul is full of free range cats. They appear well taken care of; they are not feral cats (at least I don’t think so). There are not so many as to be a problem, at least not for us. But they are everywhere if you look for them.

So off for our morning coffee or tea. The Turks make a fabulous apple tea, but for me it will still be cappuccino in the morning. There’s a Starbucks here, but we have found nothing to compare with Roma’s cappuccino.

Off to Taksim Square to see more of Beyoglu then to Topkapi Palace, the spice bazaar (again), and just walking around.

Some of our Istanbul shots have moved to the photo album.

Hoscakal,

Ron