Istanbul again

Valerie and Ewan will recognise this building! We are staying in the Sultanamet area in Istanbul and from where we have breakfast we can see the famous Blue Mosque which just has to be visited to believe how beautiful it is inside. The girls were a little reluctant at first which probably had something to do with covering up to go in, and were struck with what they saw inside. The beauty is in the tiling of the ceiling and around the walls.

After the mosque, we wandered around the city just taking in the sights and hanging around the square people watching. I had hot corn with salt and grace sampled the watermelon which is everywhere and delicious.

In the evening we enjoyed a meal out at a rooftop restaurant looking over the city of Istanbul as the lights came on. Such a lovely city with the lights casting a gentle glow on the  I ordered an ottoman style meal of chicken cooked in a terrine. The waiter made a great show of cracking the head from the burning container to reveal a delicious meal of chicken so tender, and tomato, onion and spices. Just yummy. We have had a number of really enjoyable eating experiences. The best places are where the locals go and it's interesting just to watch what they do. One cafe had a lady in the corner cooking the wraps to order: wraps with cheese wraps with cheese and beef or chicken wraps. Orange juice is freshly squeezed and available in many places and so cheap. I enjoyed ordering local cuisine from the shop window and in particular a shredded chicken dish topped with potato and cheese and eggplant stuffed with tomato, onion and unrecognisable spices.

One day trip was a boat ride to Hebeliada island of the Prince's Islands. The journey was a couple of hours long but not without plenty to keep us entertained. From the moment the boat left the port we were offered orange juice, tea, coffee, bread rolls, chips, plastic toys, dresses... it seemed to have a captive market was an opportunity too good to pass up and no one left their seat because if you did it was gone!

Once on the island, we hired bikes for a tour around. This proved a little frustrating because it was unclear where you could go and how to get to the water and you had to pay to pass through gates with no clear reason why. Eventually, we found a swimming spot that was not a patch on swimming spots we have had in the past but it was wet and cool. Two hours later, having fallen asleep on sun loungers, we headed back to the town. There wasn't a great deal to see but it was nice to be somewhere different where there weren't so many people. One point of interest on the island were the buildings made from wood. They were very unusual because there were so few of them and they were clearly not the best-suited material for the environment. We bought cherries and sat on the wharf. Oh, and the girls bought flowers headbands, as you do.

Also visited: A palace, a Hamam (don't forget to ask me about that experience!), a dance show and Gallipoli.