What a cool place. We are staying in the old section, the Sultanahmet, just down from the hippodrome and Blue Mosque in a little hotel with a roof deck. This morning we drank cappuccino up there in sun and watched the supertankers chug through the Bospherus.
Aya Sophia didn't disappoint. The space verges on vertiginous, and despite the best efforts of the Iconoclasts - who, apparently were anti-icon - there remain mosaics of worried looking biblical and political figures, including the pink-cheeked Empresses Irene and Zoe.
In the afternoon, on the recommendation of an Oxford friend, we took a tram to Taksim, which barely gets a mention in the guidebook. Its the height of New Turkey, with big buildings, fashionable shops and cafes, and a constant flow of hip young people. It was a good reminder of the size of this city of 12 million people, and how little we'll actually visit.
And the food: I can eat meatballs. All. Day. Yes!
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