Sunday, October 19, 2008
Finally a Fall Day
This weekend it was cool, crisp and feeling a bit fall like in London. I spent the 2 days beginning my Christmas shopping (Harrod's Christmas World is going to be my downfall), as well as searching the city desperately for some Halloween decorations. Unfortunately, Halloween is not a very popular holiday here so my home decor will be quite limited this year. On Sunday I walked through Hyde Park (which I love) and took a few shots in the afternoon sunshine.
Birthday Tea
I spent my 31st birthday in true British style. On Saturday Jenny Dixon and Suzie Wensley took me out for brunch in St James Park and then we spent the afternoon touring Buckingham Palace and its gardens. On Sunday I met up with a group of girlfriends for a real British Tea Party. We went to Fortnum and Mason - a historic site on Piccadilly - for a lovely afternoon of champagne, tea, sandwiches and cakes. I will always remember it!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Istanbul, Turkey
Jason and I spent last weekend in Istanbul, Turkey. Another city that more than surpassed our expectations. We stayed in the main tourist area in the shadow of the Blue Mosque and from there we were able to visit all of the main sites in the heart of the city. Saturday included a run along the bank of the Bosphorus Straight, a visit to the Aya Sophia church (built in 537), shopping in the Grand Bazaar (approx 2500 shops under one roof) and a night out in Taxim (where I'm convinced that 10 million of the 12 million people that live in this capital city were out for the evening). Taxim was really insane - people everywhere - and building 5 stories tall all connected to each other lining street after street. The building has a bar or restaurant on every floor and each one was a bit different. One that we went in had a cafe on the ground floor, then a salsa club, then a live rock band, then a techno dance club on the top floor. We ended up spending about 3 hours in one place where they had live Turkish pop music which was fantastic.
Sunday was spent exploring the Hippodrome area, visiting the Blue Mosque, and taking the ferry over to the Asia side of the city to visit the other part of Istanbul. On the other bank, we walked through crowded streets of fruit stands and fish mongers, and played backgammon and drank apple tea with the locals.
Overall the city was much more westernized then i anticipated, including a Nike Town and a light rail system. The people were outgoing and friendly and the food was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed the apple tea, the meat and chicken kabobs and sandwiches, the pistachio baklava and even tried smoking the hookah (apple tobacco) to fit in with the locals. I recommend the city to all adventures and hope to go back to Turkey sometime to explore the many other interesting regions of the country.
Sunday was spent exploring the Hippodrome area, visiting the Blue Mosque, and taking the ferry over to the Asia side of the city to visit the other part of Istanbul. On the other bank, we walked through crowded streets of fruit stands and fish mongers, and played backgammon and drank apple tea with the locals.
Overall the city was much more westernized then i anticipated, including a Nike Town and a light rail system. The people were outgoing and friendly and the food was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed the apple tea, the meat and chicken kabobs and sandwiches, the pistachio baklava and even tried smoking the hookah (apple tobacco) to fit in with the locals. I recommend the city to all adventures and hope to go back to Turkey sometime to explore the many other interesting regions of the country.
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