Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents - Europe & Asia.

We spent most of our time on the European side and you can see the Asian side in this photo.

The bridge off in the distance connects the European & Asian continents together.

The two traveling sisters!

Me

Our first stop in Istanbul was to the Hippodrome of Constantinople. This was the sporting & social center of Constantinople the capital of the Byzantine Empire. There were horse and chariot races around the monuments. Today only fragments remain of 3 columns.

This is the Walled Column.

The Serpent Column. This is all the remains of the 3 intertwined bronze serpents.

This is the Egyptian Obelisk. It originally was located in Egypt but was brought here in 390AD and renamed the Obelisk of Theodosius.

This stone pillar was the 0 marker used to measure all road distances in the Byzantine Empire.

Here are some of my favorite funny photos from Istanbul. There were food vendors all over the place and I could not resist snapping some pictures.

Here is a watermelon seller - taking a little nap.

These vendors were very common - selling roasted corn & chestnuts.

Cucumbers anyone?

Lots and lots of apples.

This guy is very talented.

Katie ordered Turkish Coffee & I tried a sip... here is my reaction.

WOW that was strong.

Katie seemed to enjoy it more then I did.

Maybe not.