Istanbul

Not Constantinople. Gag, got that joke out of the way. In October 2013, four of us flew from San Francisco and New York to spend a week in Turkey. We divided our time between Istanbul and central Cappadocia. I thought with approximately 17 million residents, Istanbul would be teeming with Turks, but I found the bustling metropolis rather manageable and atmospheric on the confluence of Europe and Asia. The historic old city with its Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Basilica Cistern, is actually quite wee, almost a Turkish Disneyland. Turkey is so magical that I took some of my best evah travel photos. We stayed much of our time in a rented apartment in the more lively district of Beyoglu. The crew already discussed returning next year to Istanbul for a month.