Istanbul ... exotic, mysterious, steeped in the history and grandeur of sultans, mosques, souks, spices, and Turkish carpets so grand that one feels able to fly away into a world of fantasy!

Sights and sounds on a sunny day in November - walking in the midst of a sea of interesting faces, each telling his or her own story with a stolen glance behind a burka - wending one's way through the Grand Bazaar and dodging young men carrying high the ubitiquous silver tea tray, men smoking and talking incessantly on their cellphones, the tinkling of bells, snippets of polite conversation amidst the hurried sales pitch as a westerner walks by - gold jewelry so well-made and stunning that one wants to immediately stop and buy -

Culture shock but so mannerly and urbane - walking through the courtyards of the mosques and viewing from a distance the centuries-old traditions of foot washing in preparation for entering to pray - sunlight sparkling on the blue waters of the Bosphorus - well-tended greenways beside the wide boulevards - the fascination of the trinkets and colorful wares of the vendors in the tiny narrow streets -

Simply breathtaking!

To our Customers: Wayne and I are in the final stages of the edit of our Istanbul Virtual Walk, so please stay tuned. We look forward to being able to offer this "little slice of life" to you soon -

Kathi