Friday 24 June 2011

On the road again... Back to Istanbul

After hot air ballooning we had another yummy b'fast, and then it was on to Ankara, Turkey's capital. Here we visited Ataturks' mausoleum and museum. We arrived just in time to see the 'changing of the guards'. they way the walk really isn't practical, that's for sure! After lunch we went to the museum of Anatolian civilization.

A mass of colour in the grounds of Ataturk's Mausoleum




The roof of the mausoleum
We then had about 4 hours to spare in Ankara before we had to catch the overnight SLEEPER train back to Istanbul - It was great that this was included in the price of the tour, and not an 'optional upgrade'. We even had a whole sleeper carriage to ourselves! I shared a room with 'mum'. After arriving back in Istanbul we had breakfast on the top of Camlicca Hill, which gives great views of Istanbul and the Bosphorous. We then crossed the Bosphorus Bridge, travelling from Asia back into Europe.

After checking in, me and 'mum' had a rest, then went for a walk to get some lunch. then we caught a tram to the Blue Mosque, which was AMAZING!! We then went for a walk to find the Grand Bazaar which was packed. After the bazaar we went to the Spice Bazaar, which was awesome. It got some nougat, and delicious dried apricots - YUM!! All in all a good last day in Istanbul - the next morning me and 'mum' basically just got up and headed for the airport, to return to London, and ready to do my photography course, which I will blog about next :)
 The outside of the mosque


Inside - Beautiful!




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