Tourist for a day!

On Wednesday, I took at full-day Imperial & Ottoman bus tour around Istanbul. I became your cliche tourist for the day! I visited classic Turkish landmarks - like the Ayasofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar (with a lunch break at a rooftop restaurant). I also met loads of folks in my tour group from India, Japan, Argentina, Italy, and of course, the United States (Colorado, to be exact).

I had seen most of these places in my previous visits, so I wasn't as obsessed with taking pictures of everything like some of my other tour mates (plus, my parents were avid home video directors back in the mid-80's, early 90' - so I knew most of these places were captured on VHS tapes and collecting dust at home.) So I focused more on enjoying each place with more attention.

But these landmarks never, ever get old. You can visit many times and still be in awe of all the cultural history, inticate architecture, and unique views that (even now) continue to leave you breathless.

You can see most of my pics from my day trip in my Turkiye Flickr album.