Istanbul! crossroads of civilizations and link between east and west. We love this place. Old and new mixed together, the exotic smells of the Spice Bazzar, 21st century trams running past 5th century churches. Kebab shops - just like at home. Istanbul is the only city in the world straddling two continents. The Bosporus separates Europe and Asia and provides the only connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Talk about a lot of ships!

Saint Sophia is the oldest, largest and best known church/mosque in Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century and was at the time the largest church in the world, but was converted to a mosque a thousand years later. We were awestruck.

The mosaics inside Saint Sophia are fantastic, where they still exist. It's quite odd to see Christian motifs inside a mosque. What can you say - they are simply beautiful.

Everyone you meet in the old part of the city is either another tourist or a local trying to sell you something. Fascinating - but tiring. If you are looking for a Turkish rug, this is definitely the place to buy one. The Grand Bazzar has over 4000 shops all under cover, a bit like a Byzantine Westfields. Unlike markets in other countries which are always in large shed or outdoors and always seem a bit tacky, the Grand Bazzar is a full-on Turkish affair with highly decorated ceilings, named streets and anything you would ever or never want to buy. Every shopkeeper invites you to inspect his carpet collection, smell his spices or taste his Turkish Delight. Certainly not a place for the faint-hearted - but we loved it!

The centerpiece of Istanbul is the Blue Mosque. At only 500 years old it is relatively new and is very grand compared to Saint Sophia only a few hundred metres away. Unlike Saint Sophia which now a museum the Blue Mosque is a working mosque with prayers five times a day, and open to tourists in between.

The Blue Mosque has the most amazing interior spaces and is very richly decorated in the Islamic tradition with blue patterned tiles from Izmir in Turkey and many different Islamic motifs and decorations. It is both a humbling and uplifting space with the most amazing soaring domed ceilings. We went back several times to take it all in.

Once you get past the shop-keepers' banter the Turks are warm and friendly people. They love to chat paticularly once they discover you're an Aussie. You can never forget you are in a Muslim country however with the loud calls to prayer from every mosque echoing across the city every few hours. The 5am call each day was memorable, particularly from our hotel, which was only 100 metres from the Blue Mosque, complete with six minarets, each equipped with an impressive set of loud speakers. Who needs an alarm clock!

We love Istanbul and would someday like to return to other parts of Turkey - but for now its on to Scandanavia.