Turkey take two

In April we were lucky enough to spend another 3 weeks in Turkey.  We would be meeting up with Rob, Annette and little in Emma in Cirali but before that we spent a couple of days in Safranbolu, North of Ankara, up towards the Black Sea.  The town itself is a world heritage site, famous for authentic and well maintained traditional Ottoman architecture.  It's a great place to wander, with winding cobbled streets and a real 'old' Turkish charm to it.  There wasn't a huge amount of English language, not a beer in sight and a only trickle of Turkish tourists.  We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and even managed to get to the coast, the little town of Amasra. 

From there it was a quick bus down to Ankara, where we spent the night in what seemed an incredibly busy, cosmopolitan city.  The next morning we braved the traffic and made our way to the airport where we hopped on a flight down to Cirali.  It was great to see Rob and family and wonderful to be in Cirali again although it must be said that we are at risk of becoming part of the furniture there.   

Istanbul has seriously wormed it's way into my heart.  It has such an unbelievable energy and I can honestly say that a beer on the Galata Bridge, watching ferries, fisherman, trawlers and what seems like a good chunk of the world go by, will always be one of my most favourite things to do.  It's really just wandering around aimlessly that does it for me, getting lost in the crowd and people watching.  A walk through the beautiful Gulhane Park, a little Boza in Vefa, a strong coffee to catch up with locals and sitting with a traditional breakfast overlooking the Sea of Marmara. 

The Set Ustu Tea Garden in Istanbul

Safranbolu

The ruins of Phaselis

Rob and Emma in Cirali

The Grand Bazaar

Istanbul