Farewell to Constantinople

Istanbul was such a surprise.  I never even considered it as one of the travel options I'd be able to do.   I remember when my aunt and uncle took my two cousins to Istanbul when they were little kids;  I thought it was the most exotic destination imaginable.  When my son suggested we meet in Istanbul, I jumped at the chance.

I've already written about the week we spent there from the mosques and the five daily calls-to-worship echoing throughout the neighborhood, to the mosaics and Topkapi.  There's one thing I haven't addressed at length, and that's the cat population.

They were all over the Sultanahmet district.

Everywhere one turned, there was another cat.

 Alison really loved the kitties.

Every now and then, you'd see a dog hanging around as well.

But the kitties really rule Sultanahmet.

I wish I'd had my camera ready when we went to the fancy fish restaurant.  It was cat heaven.  As we left the restaurant that night, we saw waiters bring the fish bones out to the alley for the cats.  I think I counted about 15 cats swarming the fish remains.

Cats were still underfoot when I left Saturday morning for the airport to catch my flight back to London.  Jake and Alison stayed on until New Year's Eve, but left the Metropolis in search of cheaper digs as the price for the room jumped rather dramatically.

It was a great destination city.  We did a lot, but there's so much to do. I recommend the time around Christmas, but clear out before New Year's, or prepare to pay elevated prices.