Istanbul

I had no idea what to expect of Istanbul when Deloitte asked me for a week of my time in Turkey to do a practice review. But boy, did this city surprise me! Johnny joined for the weekend and what we saw on our guided tour was pure magic and a total eye opener. 

This incredibly large city stretches across two continents, both Asia and Europe and is divided by the magnificent Bosphorus. We were amazed by the Mosques peeking out between the buildings in their hundreds.  The interior of the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar experience is a definite must (although I was a little disappointed that there were no chickens running around between the stalls as I've imagined - just shows you how naive I really am!)

But for me it was the Hagia Sophia that made the largest impression. The old Greek orthodox Christian Church build in 437 AD, turned Mosque and now a museum. You will see from the images below that the interior is breathtaking with the gold mosaics of Christ, later overridden by the large Muslim signs on the side. Gives you such an interesting sense of understanding of this world that we find ourselves currently living in. 

And then of course the Palaces - in my second life I would hope to be a princess living in one of these.