Istanbul

First, we would like to thank so many of you for helping with this part of the trip. We could not have done it without you all for your ideas, recommendations and hospitality (thank you especially to Michael & Dominique for hosting).

We are now on a tour of Turkey with our little Peugot rental, but we spent about 10 days in Istanbul and loved every second of it. From walks through the city to exploring the wonderful markets to the sights (Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia) to dinners with new friends to beers on the Galata Bridge (cheers to Ana Rosa) to a Turkish bath....it is really hard to sum up, but after a couple months of being completely dirt bag, we found Istanbul to be a welcome contrast (staying with friends, hot showers, some new clothes - out with the hiking pants!!) to the last couple months. The best part of the city, though for us, was sitting down at the parks for picnics of cheese, bread and fresh strawberriıes and watching the world go by. It is such an interesting place to visit and the tag line `Where East Meets West´ is totally true and fascinating. And, I think the only other place that could rival in hospitality could be Japan. The Turks are truly wonderful and willing to help in any case. In fact last night we were invited to a total strangers´ house in a small town of Safranbolu to have dinner with him and his wife. Here are a few pictures to sum up the wonderful 10 days we had in Istanbul. We are excited that we get to go back for a few days before heading home to Colorado on May 16. And, after a very fun experience with a Turkish doctor, I also got a clean bill of health....here we come Baklava.