Istanbul

As part of a trip to Europe to spend some time with Mum and Dad in Croatia, we stopped in Istanbul for a few nights to catch up with Melissa - one of our friends from back in Australia. We had an amazing time and loved the vibrancy and the history of Istanbul. We will definitely be back.

The view of the minarets from the waterfront 

The awesome spice markets

The old and majestic San Sofia mosque. One of the places which moves you deeply as you look around at the history, the engineering and the fact that great cultures and civilisations have been around for a long time. Also, that they have not always fought and that truly beautiful structures go beyond the small differences between people that we spend so much of our time magnifying and trying to make significant.

The incredible dome inside the mosque. Engineering at its cutting edge many years ago.

The beautiful Blue mosque - gorgeous from the outside, but does not have the gravitas which the San Sofia mosque commands.

Lunch with a pretty special view!