Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople. Actually the Turks called it Kostantiniyye, while others used the title Stamboul. Of course, Constantine called it New Rome after he conquered what was then called Byzantium in 330 AD. And we can't forget the original Thracian name of Lygos used by Pliny the Elder, or even the name "Augusta Antonina" which lasted a few weeks during the 3rd century AD. Why they changed it we can't say, people just liked it better that way.

We may as well start from the top of the list, with the Hagia Sofia.

Known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, the building was the centre of Eastern Orthodox Christianity for over a thousand years.

And then the city's greatest mosque for over five hundred.

Just one small section of the Topkapi Palace

The Tiled Kiosk at the edge of the palace.

We love Turkish food.

Freshly made gozlemes

And freshly smoked nargile

We went on a boat trip to see the sites on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus.

The Blue Mosque

Various Awesome Ceilings

Yeni Mosque

The fishermen of Galata Bridge

The Grand Bazaar (see earlier entry)

Now, if you remember from last year, we began our relationship on December 31st 2005. And since December 31st 2012 was our seven year anniversary, we celebrated by visiting seven buildings from the last seven centuries.

From top-left going clockwise: Wooden Houses of Sogukçeşme Street (18th Century), Hafiz Mustafa Delight Shop (19th Century), Topkapi Palace (15th Century), Republic Monument (20th Century), Suleymaniye Hamam (16th Century), Istanbul Spice Bazaar (17th Century) and Galata Tower (14th Century).

And we capped off 2012, which was without a doubt our most blog-worthy year yet, with a few drinks and an intercontinental fireworks display. It was Turkish delight on a moonlit night.