Day 15 Tourists in Istanbul

The Rally schedule has been changed, and there are no stages around Ankara and Eskisehir, so crews were given the option of following the original time and travel schedule or heading straight to Istanbul.  Mark and Dave opted for Istanbul.

 A leisurely breakfast in Ankara,  then a 500km drive to Istanbul.

Jiri Kojac, who navigates and manages the Czech team we've linked up with, decided we should stay in Istanbul at Taksin rather than spend big dollars at the Novotel where we stay tomorrow night.

The drive was relatively quick. The 120kph speed limit is pretty much completely ignored by the locals.  Traffic was much thicker as we reached Istanbul but it was manageable.

not sure what this procession at Taksim Square was about

We then explored Taksim Square (scene of last year's anti-government riots), took the funicular railway and tram into the Old Town to see the spice market and the Grand Bazaar, before catching Judy and Phillip Morley at the Blue Mosque. (Judy and Philip are touring around over here).

We ate at a local restaurant where P&J had eaten the night before, then it was tine for the tram home again.

Mark and I with Judy Morley at dinner in Istanbul, and catching the tram back to our hotel