Istanbul Trip 2013
OK, So a whole year managed to go by without my posting about my trip to Istanbul, Turkey, in September 2013 with Morocco. Well, I’m almost done editing and organizing the photos (over 2000!- blame digital), so by this time next month, they’ll be up, and there will be more to tell!
Istanbul is an amazing crossroads and cultural cauldron, with opportunities to explore rich past history and traditions, as well as to enjoy the best of modern arts and music. This is my 4th trip there but it still felt like discovering it all over again. The biggest problem was how to squeeze as much as possible into the 2 week time frame. Of course I saw at least 4 dance shows, sampled the delicious cuisine, and spent time at iconic must see places, even though I’d been there before. My experience with repeat visits is that you notice different things each time you go, more subtle details, a better understanding of what I am looking at, etc. Of course the Turks are super welcoming, and there were lots of friendly street cats for us to get our “kitty fix!”
We happened to be there in time for the Istanbul Biennial art exposition and caught a Korean-Turkish festival in a park near the Hagia Sofia. Also, thanks to 2 of Morocco’s closest friends in Istanbul, we got off the beaten track to the Asian side, local hangouts, and a fabulous new hamam (Ahhhhhhhhhhhh….). I’ll be posting more next month, so stay tuned!
Karima Nadira 