"Istanbul," a first draft of a new poem

draft taken down after a couple days, as usual

Istanbul, city of culture

An appreciative article appears in today's Guardian about one of my favourite cities, Istanbul. See the blog archives from 2008 for some marvellous pictures.

Street Smarts in Kadıköy, 25 December 08

The other day I was window-browsing and saw

A stray cat had managed to sneak into the shop window and was blissed out on the comforts of carpeting and warmth!

Istanbul: Dolmabahçe Palace, the approach

The Imperial Gate

The Swan Fountain

close up of the front of the palace

the palace greeter--the first stray cat photo I took, 

as this one looks like my childhood cat Pandora

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, April 2008

The Blue Mosque, exterior

Inside--more exquisite than the pictures show

Click on the pictures for a larger view with more detail.

Çiya

Çiya in Kadýköy, Istanbul, was where I had the most delicious food of my visit. Above is a picture of my main meal, the peach kebap. I can hardly wait to go again....

24 April 2008, Üsküdar (continued)

More street cats...



Inside The Blue Mosque (more exquisite than these pictures can show--click to enlarge for better detail)--

Istanbul, Day 4, 24 April 2008--Üsküdar

Atik Valide Mosque



Self-portrait outside Atik Valide--
my first time going into a mosque,
so my first time donning a headscarf for that purpose



Çinili Mosque
beautifully tiled throughout



the minbar at Çinili Camii

Cats in the cemetery at a mosque near the ferry

Coming or going?