Turkey, part 3; Istanbul…meh

My final days in Turkey were spent in Istanbul. Crowded Istanbul. Crowded, touristy Istanbul. I have to admit that I really wanted to like it more, but it left me feeling sour and grumpy. I’ll expand in a later post, for now, enjoy the photos.

Inside the Hagia Sofia.

Kitty.

What a strange drink! Fermented carrot juice, it’s deep burgundy and it’s spicy. Strangely addictive and dare I say, better than Kyrgyzstan’s various fermented drinks?

Wholesome carnival games set up along the water.

Hello children! What are you doing with those floor tiles from that nearby playground that I’m sure the city of Istanbul put a lot of effort into building for you?

Oh! Carelessly tossing them into the water, you say?

Well, don’t let me get in your way. Carry on!

Taksim Square. Too crowded tonight.

Too crowded!

Fact: I will always take pictures of graffiti, cats, and both.

Blue Mosque at night.

Turkish coffee in the Grand Bazaar.

Banners behind the Blue Mosque.

Inside the Blue Mosque.

Inside a sweets shop, one of the employees insisted on taking my camera and posing me. Really, all I wanted to do was scoop some of those baklavas into my mouth. I didn’t think that would be appropriate though.

I settled for eating a big bowl of almond-flavored pudding. It was the highlight of Istanbul for me.

Waiting for a ferry to arrive, another tourist started petting this little kitten on the ground, who then woke up and decided I deserved its undivided attention.

Let’s go visit this Russian Orthodox church and remind ourselves that we should really study some Russian while we’re away from Kyrgyzstan.

Weakest Turkish coffee I had in the entire country, but most photogenic. Damn you, Sultanahmet!