it's OK to be a bit lost...more Turkish delight!

It's been two weeks since we officially started our trip and sometimes I have the feeling that we've been "running" a bit too much, mostly because we were overexcited to see this part of world which most people very seldom consider, maybe because it's not "fashionable" as London, Paris or New York would be.

But let me tell you more about Istanbul, the thousands of cats we crossed on our way (I still want to go back there and take them all with me!) and the spell it might cast on you as soon as you cross the city gates.

• Istanbul smells damn good. I really mean it. Whenever we went out somewhere we could smell chestnuts, Turkish coffee, hookahs, clovers, saffron and dried fruits, no matter where were we.
• With less than 10 liras you can have a proper meal almost everywhere. There are two cafes in the lower part of the Galata Bridge where you can taste a spartan, but delicious mackerel sandwich with a view over the Golden Horn. All for the price of a Starbucks latte or less.
• The whole city is a great maze. You can get easily lost but you cannot mind much as the things you find are far more interesting than finding the right route.
• CATS GALORE. EVERYWHERE. You can have a çay in front of a çay evi (tea house) or çay bahcesi (tea garden) and find yourself surrounded by those little meowing furry balls which we all adore (no excpetions, whoever claims to hate cats is a liar and that's all). Just look for the smallest cafes, the ones with tiny chairs and possibly in slopy alleys. They're cheap and excellent and kitties are free of charge.
• Turkish food is great. From simit (which I mentioned in my last post-you can find them anywhere in the city from street vendors with tiny red chariots), to manti (Turkish hand made raviolis served with a yogurt sauce. Lots of restaurants now have the habit of exposing a lady making hundreds of mantis from scratch in front of everyone. Though this normally proves the genuine production of this delicacy, the best ones are made in a proper kitchen), to, ça va sans dire, lokum and baklavas for dessert.
• The Grand Bazaar. It's not necessary to look something to buy here: a view in the late afternoon, as soon as they switch the lights on, is the greatest of souvenirs.

Here's some spare pics, as promised:

The Grand Bazaar is astonishing from floor to ceiling. Literally.

  

The Blue Mosque, indeed my greatest crush so far.

The Galata Tower was our personal good morning view.

 

 I'm sorry for the picture placing inconvenience...though I like it, and you?
Talk soon!