Istanbul is impossibly romantic. The air smells of roasted lamb, cinnamon and cilantro. There are chestnuts roasting on street corners. The Bosporus sparkles in the sun and it is easy to see why it was such an inspiration to the English Romantic poets. The light here is luminous.
The mind boggles at the history of this area. It is one thing to read Herodotus describe the conflict and subsequent defeat of King Croesus by the Persian King Cyrus, or to read Homer’s recounting of the sacking of ancient Troy and quite another to realize that these events took place in this area. In pre-biblical times the Hittites were here and developed one of the first great legal systems in the world. And then, of course, the Romans, the Byzantines and the precursors of the modern Turkish state.
We spent the day just wandering around, admiring the sights and sounds and colors on display.
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