On the Streets in Istanbul

I had no idea how much I would love Istanbul.  I travel to see different cultures and ways of life.  And of course the food and a good photo op.  Istanbul has all of those things and so much more.  This city is one of the most fascinating places I have visited, religiously, politically, and historically.  And how many countries can you say exist on two different continents?  I will have to look that up.  The sound of the Call to Prayer coming out of the minarets throughout the city 5 times a day was beautiful.  And we were visiting Turkey during the time of Ramadan.  
We stayed in the old city, in Sultanahmet, which was great for visiting the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the Topaki Palace.  From our hotel, the Eresin Crown, we were able to walk to all of these places.  Our hotel also had a beautiful view of the Sea of Marmara that you could enjoy on the terrace for both breakfast or cocktails and dinner.  And at night, on the terrace, you could see the Blue Mosque lit brightly nearby.  I loved that so many restaurants were serving on rooftop terraces like Mostra Seafood and Nostra Cosa, where we had two great meals.
We visited a 300 year old Haman or Turkish bath, named Cogaloglu, which is an experience one will not forget.  After changing in your private changing room, you are then led into the hararet or hot room to sweat before your treatment.  The room is all marble and quite beautiful. In the center of the room is the marble slab where you will be scrubbed down with a kese and massaged.  No pictures posted of that!
I could go on and on about Istanbul but instead let the pictures tell the story which is the point of this blog.