It's snowing in London!!

Went to Istanbul from January 29 to February 1! Here are some pictures.

The Bosphorus: We took a boat tour and got to see the landscape of Istanbul. The Bosphorus is the strait between Europe and Asia. Istanbul is on both the European and Asian side of Turkey, thereby becoming the only city on 2 continents.

Topkapi Palace: Was the royal palace for about 400 years until the sultan moved to another palace. Very impressive rooms, harem, windows. I fell in love with the Turkish tiles. The palace also has a rococo flair though, because it was redone in the 18th century. Seems fitting for a palace in Istanbul, which is truly cosmopolitan.

Egyptian Bazaar: Lots of spices and food and jewelery. Really fun and colorful. The male vendors all try to lure you in and are very aggressive. I bought some delicious Turkish delight!
Hagia Sophia, take 1: I couldn't take a centered photo from the floor of the Hagia Sophia because there was a huge scaffold in the middle for renovations. So this photo shows only half of the height of the mosque! The Hagia Sophia is called the Ayasofya in Turkish, which I rather like.

Hagia Sophia, take 2: It was gloomy the day we visited so the lighting wasn't too great, but the artwork was still amazing. The wooden circle on the left says Allah and the one on the right represents either the Prophet Muhammad or one of the caliphs. I love the painting of the seraph in the top right of the photo.