I love the colourful Turkish pottery with the tulip flower – the country’s national flower – motifs

A shop specialising in buttons at the Grand Bazaar

Cruising along the Bosphorus Strait – a must-do as a tourist in Istanbul!

Cheese alert!

An old lady making gözleme, a savoury traditional Turkish pastry usually filled with spinach, cheese, and various types of meat.

This group of 14-year-olds on a school outing at the Topkapi Palace struck up a conversation with us as we stood in line for an exhibit. Very sweet kids!

A life-size model of the blonde screen goddess Marilyn Monroe in her famous white halter dress

I like the hand-drawn pictures of this cafe’s ad

Old trunks for sale – pretty cool stuff once they get restored to their original glory!

Textiles for sale

Couldn’t help but notice how the ad targets the “slightly deranged collector”

Lots of charming little cafes dot the streets of Istanbul – great places for tourists to grab acuppa when they are tired from traipsing the streets