FERRY TO BUYUKADA

MONDAY MORNING   from the balcony

 

beautiful tulips bought just up the road

MONDAY sandra and patrick and sunny and i took the ferry trip out to the Prince's Islands yesterday, last time i went we all sat on the upper deck amongst the wonderful big gulls that travel with the boat to eat the bread that passengers throw. 
so it was a bit of a shock to have the ferry arrive so loaded with passengers i couldn't see how we'd fit.  all the stairs to the upper deck had people sitting all over them with food and drinks (it's a 1 1/2 hour trip)  and every window was inaccessible, we stood all the
way.  it's still a great trip and we had a seafood lunch right on the water under 
umbrellas - istanbul fish is the best, so fresh and caught right here every day.












people on 
the
ferry

last night - after the ferry trip, 'istanbullu' cocktails on the balcony

this whacky cruise ship docked last night, it looks like a nautical 9/11

SUNDAY  -  sunny and i did the tour of the ultra ornate Dolmabahce Palace, it's a short walk from susan and sean's, down the hill on the bosphorus.   no photos, but i surreptitiously took lots, as did everyone else :0)

 the lovely pink plastic
foot covers that we
all wore on the tour.
couldn't hear a word
the tour guide said but
it didn't matter -
the place is just a
visual feast of
'over the topness' -
so much gold, trompe
l'oeul (?) crystal,
brocade, marble,
faux finishes that
descriptions and
details were
unnecessary.

I cannot begin to describe the size of this chandelier, and then there was an even bigger one, the whole palace is like a museum of chandeliers and mirrors

beautiful detail on the
blinds in some of the
smaller quieter parts
of the palace




 below,
the palace
gardens

a magpie very much like the ones i saw in china, beautiful birds with a rich blue back

we took a sunset cruise to Kadakoy and back - a short trip but perfect for watching the sun go down behind the mosques and the galata bridge

ON THE WAY HOME - sunday night - we walked back up Istiklal after our sunset drinks and dinner - found creme brulee up in Taksim Square - how good is that?   and it was absolutely creamy and perfect - a pretty good end to the evening.

from the Londra Hotel rooftop - a sweet little church that has been
dwarfed by the buildings around it

susan in full flight with sunny and sean in the background, two very annoying girls in the foreground, we had to choose a table away from them because their conversation was loud and full of  'like' and comments like 'and like, he was really attracted to me. . .'  etc.

 AH the wonderful Londra
- so much to see on every floor :0)

istiklal is lit up like christmas all year round

 i love these 

cafes that have 

balconies and

terraces,

everyone must

have the best

view of the

bosphorus,

just look out

for that sign

near the door

'TERAS'

these icecream sellers are hilarious, it takes a complete sideshow of tricks before you
get your cone - all sleight of hand, giving it to you - almost - taking it away, in so
many different ways it always attracts a crowd, very funny


LIGHTS ON THE ATATURK BRIDGE over the
Dolmabahce Palace from the bedroom window