Istanbul part two

We stayed in the most lovely family-run hotel in Sultanahmet. Was so beautiful walking past the Aya Sofia and Blue Mosque all the time. We'd get trams and funiculars around the city as well, went through a lot of tram tokens!

There were carts selling roasted chestnuts, corn cobs and bagel/pretzel like bread with cream cheese (can't remember their proper name) everywhere

Nevizade was one of the main restaurant and nightlife streets. Very buzzy once it got going.

Istanbul part one - Topkapi Palace

The unseasonably early and very heavy snow in London didn't stop us from getting out of town for Christmas and heading to the megacity that is Istanbul. We spent a good half day exploring the Topkapi Palace

Just me and the Bosphorus

Amazing mosaics. Inside we saw some interesting relics as well from biblical times

Peaceful spot away from the crowds of Istanbul

I think the Harem was one of the most interesting parts of the palace - not too many people were looking around there and you could really imagine it being the bustling centre of court life 200 years ago

Christmas at Win's

We had an early Christmas with Win, Dan, Jane and Lisa. Win and Dan cooked up an Italian feast, and Jane did a super job wrapping the breadsticks in parma ham ; )

The decorations were absolutely amazing, the food delicious and it was a super celebration, complete with home made gingerbread men to take home. A few days later we kept the festive spirit going when Jane, Win, Bulli and I went to the Panto at Wimbledon. The Hoff (David Hasselhoff) was starring in Peter Pan - so cheesy but heaps of fun and I must say the Hoff is a great entertainer!

Kellie was quick with a text in the morning to make sure we picked up the breaking news. Here's Jane with the day's big headline

Win, Jane and Lisa

Win's festive table

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We didn't buy a Christmas tree this year but we did still head up to Columbia Road flower market to enjoy seeing everyone else purchase their festive fir. There are just truckloads and truckloads of trees, it's amazing. The barrow boys are all shouting out the prices trying to entice buyers, then your tree is wrapped up in netting to keep it tight til you get home. I love seeing people wrestle their trees on the walk home. It was a lovely Sunday up around the Spitalfields area, the sun was out and we got some great empanadas from the Brick Lane markets as well. It's one of the best places to be in London on a Sunday morning.

Poinsettias aplenty

Fruit stall on Brick Lane

Mistletoe

Before it's wrapped...

Now to get the tree home

Sights

High Street Kensington on a rainy day...

Global village

To mark the weekend that the clocks go back it's important to get out and about, take your mind off the fact it will be dark at 4pm everyday....so the end of BST saw me French on Friday night (thank you Bleeding Heart bistro), Italian on Saturday night (we're all having the Spaghetti a La Barca please) and Iranian on Sunday afternoon at the delightful and unassuming Patogh, and maybe a night cap at the Curtains Up to round the weekend off nicely...

Bulli, Lisa and Dale at Patogh

Autumn

I love walking along and crunching the big leaves under my feet - I'll get off a few tube stations early for the pleasure...

Something weird about autumn - you notice more light shining in the bedroom window - as the trees become more bare the streetlights peek through...