ISTANBUL

28th August

I stayed in the Taksim area of Istanbul for a couple of days. It’s a very modern and upbeat area with lots of shops and restaurants. I had my eyes tested and a new pair of reading glasses for 50 pounds!
Found the Irish bar - Happy hour from 10am to 1700hrs. AND I was their only customer.. AND, can you believe it? NO GUINNESS till October due to some problem with red tape and the Turkish Government only allowing bottles into the Country and not Casks. They were playing Irish folk music whilst I supped my diet coke. I then noticed a poster advertising some traditional IRISH FLAMENCO that night. It was actually a really nice pub and they made me very welcome as I munched on some Turkish/Irish apple pie. Then another customer turned up; a really nice funny American called Vincent Cooper. We got chatting and I discovered he was an Artist and had been staying in Istanbul for 3 months. It also turned out he was the descendant of famous British Cartoonist, Roy Wilson, and his family has a collection of many of Roys original Cartoons.
I then moved accommodation to stay with some very dear Turkish friends who live on the Asian side of the Bosporus. Since that move I have become very adept at using the ferries.

31st August

Did some more exploring in the Taksim area and also had a lovely meal with my hosts and swapped news about travel and families.

1st September

I caught the ferry to Eminonu and walked up to Sultanamet, the area of the Great Mosques. Visited the Blue Mosque and The Museum of Islamic Art, which had a magnificent display of Carpets and Folk Costumes. In the afternoon there was a display in the square at Sultanamet of Balkan Folk Dancing - and I enjoyed watching lively dancing from Bulgaria and Romania. I then took a long walk across Galatasary Bridge and back towards Taksim where I met up with Cartoonists Izel Rozental and Tan Oral. We went and had a meal and had lots of catching up to do. I hadn’t seen them for 3 years. They are both extremely busy preparing for Exhibitions and Izel has been organising a European Day Of Jewish Culture for Sunday, to which I was invited.