Sunday, March 18, 2007

Istanbul - Around Town

Celebrating Victory Day İn OrtaköyInside the Ortaköy Mosque
A Spring Morning Bosphrous View from home
Gece Boğaziçi manzarası (Evening Bosphorous view from home)A Spring Friday Morning from home - Ortaköy
Same Morning - Beşiktaş
Istiklal Cadessi - Taksim (Independence Avenue)
Istiklal Cadessi - Taksim

Friday, March 16, 2007

Terra Firma Touchdown

Istanbul is firmly under our feet after arriving last night at 5:30pm. Needless to say the trip was tiring and long but we endured the ordeal quite well. Instead of the normal route - Melbourne -> Singapore -> Dubai -> Istanbul, we totally skipped the Singapore leg. I'm not sure if the captain fell asleep with autopilot on, but it made the trip substantially shorter. Thank you Emirates!

Ahhh Australia, it was great to visit there once again - a total pleasure, particularly Melbourne, what a beautiful city. Generally she wins The Worlds Most Livable City, she certainly lived up to her reputation during our visit! Only visiting Melbourne every six months or so creates such a whirlwind visit, I only wish that we had more time there to take everything in.

During our two weeks there we experienced my sisters wedding to Pieter, my grandmothers funeral (dads mum), The Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, a 3 day trip to Sydney including an alcohol related illness, a short but enjoyable catch up with friends, walks on the beach, time with family - all of these moments were divided into precious moments that will keep me going here for the next six months.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures recently taken in Australia...

My beautiful Nanna, Birnur and Mum
Me with Nan & Pap
Mum, Dad & I
Torquay Front Beach - (sporting Istanbul Winter tan lines)
Birnur at Torquay Front Beach

Victoria, Australia

Bourke Street, Melbourne City (early saturday morning)
Partial city skyline, Melbourne
Jan Juc Beach
Jan Juc cafe
Jan Juc Beach Look-out
Torquay Front Beach
Point Addis Front Beach
Jan Juc BeachAllo allo, what have we got here?Roo steaks marinating, a prelude to the B.B.Q .