LOCATION:

41.0082° N, 28.9784° E

Istanbul, and maybe Turkey in general is a place with polarizing moods. I think part of it is that it's literally the gateway to Europe and Asia; but you really do get a sense of the word melting pot here.  We didn't get a chance to explore the Asian side of Istanbul, partly because of political unrest near the tail-end of our trip but you have to appreciate the sheer amount of history that the city holds.

Alot of travel websites rave about the Grand Bazaar. It was kind of cool but a bit overrated in my opinion. People were unfriendly and I think most people in this part of the world don't like their pictures taken so it's hard to really capture the bustling activity of this market without feeling like you're offending someone.

Everything runs through the mighty Bosphorus