ISTANBUL NOT CONSTANTINOPLE

Istanbul was not what I expected.  I'm not sure what my expectation was, but it was not what I got.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It is a very modern European city and very clean and beautiful.  The tour I took was jam packed with sites to see and very little time at those sites, plus a visit to the Grand Bazaar, a rug demo and lunch.  Please watch the video.  It has pictures of places I didn't visit and shows the beauty of Istanbul.

 It was a national holiday the day we arrived.  That accounts for all the flags and the crowds at the sites.

Photo ops on our way to our first stop.