Istanbul

I was in Istanbul twice during my stay in Turkey. First when I arrived spending about a week exploring the city, and again at the end of April when attending ANZAC day commemoration and making my way to Bulgaria.

Of all the capital’s I went to I think Istanbul was the one where I felt most out of place and small. Partly this might be because it was my first time ever in a place where English was not the main language, but I think what really got me was the sheer size of the city.

Sure I’ve been in big cities before but Istanbul is on another level. Over 15 million in one city; 3 times the population of New Zealand, and 75 times the population of Wellington where I lived for 6 years prior to the trip. It’s mind-boggling no matter what way you look at it.

But in saying that it was an incredible experience and a fantastic place to start the journey.

Check out the pictures below. The photos with rounded frames are links to more photos of those places. The remainder are a selection of photos from around Istanbul