I was intrigued by the traffic sign indicating all types of travel.

Although a short distance, traffic congested the commute from the European side to the Asian side of this city, slowing us to a crawl.

Once a church, the Hagia Sofia is now a museum with breathtaking views.

Our tour included an obligatory visit to a carpet center, where one could not help but be impressed with the high quality of the carpets; most requiring months to weave.  We were shown one carpet that boasted a retail price of $40,000.

As they made their sales pitch for these beautiful, colorful carpets, I broke my 33-month fast from coffee to sample some of their atomic, high grade java.  As my Dad used to say, "That'll put hair on your chest."  It looked more like 10 W-40.

One of our favorite stops was the Grand Bazaar, witnessing the crowded market place and countless vendors.

There were numerous tourists here and we felt safe; except, Sharon noticed a number of people staring at my camera -- which is much more than a simple "point and shoot" model.  I was more concerned about pick-pockets in Naples, Rome and Athens.

Colorful wares of all kinds . . .

I don't remember seeing a harbor as busy as this one.  There were so many vessels coming and going, I would guess these boats needed some kind of traffic lights to avoid collisions.

As I expected, this visit was both magical and fascinating.  I'm so glad that Istanbul was on our itinerary.