Arrival in Istanbul

We coped very well with flights (Singapore), no delays , all on time, food very good etc.I include a pic of one of the main meals.

Transfer to hotel was OK and hotel is very well appointed and with attentive staff. The area we are in is called 'Adana' which explains why they don't sell turkish delight there--different region, a bit like like trying to find  a Bordeaux winery  in Brittany.

Later we went down to the very lively market place by the dock and had a nice kebab (genuine!) and side dish lunch there and saw many food stalls. There was a traditionally costumed man selling a drink he poured from a sort of bag thing down a spout. Without thinking I got one then realised we mustn't drink street stall liquids, so I left most of it. It was horrible anyway!

Later we went back for dinner and the market had changed, with many more different stalls. It was still food but in forms and shapes we'd never seen before. It was intriguing. Mounds of honey butter stuff, real honeycombs, huge tureens of jams, piles of noughaty stuff  and much more - real eye opener and they wanted everyone to have a taste on small disposable plastic sticks. Our dinner was, upstairs  in a genuine Turkish cafe.

We were the only people not Turkish. There was no alcohol at all on any table and a lot of families, mothers and grandmothers  in hijabs and attactive burkah dresses, with the wearers using nail varnish and make up etc. It looked lovely. Never be allowed in Iran.