Istanbul – Ancient & Modern
January 25, 2011Posted by Kanga.
The very first thing I noticed about Istanbul looking out the van window while being driven from the airport along the coastline to our hotel was that ancient and modern are melded together. Unlike Dubai, where a ten year old building is considered ripe for the wreaking ball, Byzantine and Medieval walls and buildings are simply incorporated into modern constructions.
You never know when you will look down a street and see an ancient wall.
Or an old tree around which building, awning and sidewalk wrap.
One explanation of the origin of Turkish Delight is that it was invented by Bekir Effendi the founder of this confectionary established in 1777 and still operating today. Of course, we went in and bought some. Yum!
Living the Travel Channel 
Who is that in the final picture wearing a jacket? 😉
Yes, after a few days of going around in short sleeves, it has finally gotten cold enough to don a jacket! A thin jacket, but a jacket no less. Really enjoying the cold rainy weather. Reminds us of Portland, but Istanbul is even more charming.
I love the tree in the street/sidewalk idea. Steve would not, but then he is more engineer and less dryad! The whole past and future thing makes for a beauty that is amazing. I love it! And, I too, am glad you guys are there in the ‘off’ season. Looks pretty busy to me!