Istanbul — A Turkish Breakfast and Out on Foot in Sultanahmet

I‘m not going to mention the name of our hotel (leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you on that) because Ursula doesn’t want me to publicly reveal this wonderful boutique establishment, lest we have trouble getting back into it. Oh, what the heck. Here it is: Royan Suites Sultanahmet. Suffice it to say that we’ve already made reservations for a return early next year. Not only was this place perfectly situated, within easy walking distance of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Topkapi Palace, the staff were simply charming. We all became fast friends and had many conversations over our visits to the lobby for breakfast and refreshments. Here, for instance, is Jem:

Did I mention breakfast? There are several choices here, but by far our favorite was the traditional Turkish one. We had that every morning without fail.

This spread, brought to our table each morning, was more than we could eat and kept us full well into the early evening.

The serving was just absolutely incredible. It included fresh and roasted vegetables, various olives, meats, cheeses, fruits, and different spreads for the freshly baked bread.

Freshly fueld and ready to go, we hit the streets and headed for the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia just minutes away:

The line into the Blue Mosque was intimidating this day, as was the line into the Hagia Sophia, so we chose to hang around the outside area. If you want to see the interiors, here is my previous article complete with photographs: 54 Days at Sea — Istanbul; Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

Just this area alone will give the sightseer much to ponder and the avid travel photographer a lot of fun shots:

On the grounds of the Blue Mosque is a very interesting structure with an even more intriguing name. Below is the German Fountain (Turkish: Alman Çeşmesi). It was gifted from Germany in 1900, and it commemorates the visit of Emporer Wilhelm II in October 1898.

This week I’ll be presenting a dual Fun Photo/Fun Food Friday. It will feature more photo favorite photos of this area as well as a great restaurant near our hotel for traditional döner kebab.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)