I unfortunately spent the first couple of days in Istanbul stuck in bed with some very exotic Bulgarian food-borne illnesses (yes, I got more than one kind at once), but on our subsequent three days there I began to recover and was able to get out and explore with my friends. Istanbul is an amazing city; we had more than enough to do for three days in Sultanahmet alone (the old neighborhood, which is home to the Hagia Sofia and Blue mosques, along with the Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, and various other major sites), but we could’ve filled a couple of weeks easily, and I really hope to get back to Istanbul eventually to check out the rest of the major sites and the many other cool-looking neighborhoods which we didn’t see. Pictures are below, some from a boat tour up the Bosporus which we took one afternoon (which marks the first time I’ve set foot in Asia), and a few others from the city itself and the lovely sunset as we left the harbor on our way to Morocco. Hard to believe we’ve only got one more port – and so we go!