Istanbul

Istanbul flashed past.

Literally.

We traveled through the city on a guided tour bus for a large portion.  Cities are very different when viewed as a constant visual stream from behind clear glass.

The Bosphorous River, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, as viewed from a bus window.

Modern Istanbul spans both sides of the Bospohorous River. The Asian side is more focused on industrialization and expansion, while the European side has more historical sites, as this was the original location of Constantinople.

This is Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles that decorate its interior. I now realize that this picture does not present the mosque in the typical glorious fashion. This is a picture from the backside.

The minarets reminded me of Disneyland. This made me very sad, and I tried to dispel such notions.

The streets of Istanbul are very busy with noise, bright colors, heavy loads moving to and fro, and a constant stream of street vendors vying for attention.