Istanbul part 2

Istanbul is a very ancient city, almost as old as history itself (and my old biddy!)

A beautiful and rather forgotten sight is Valens Aqueduct, a colloseum Aqueduct spanning part of the city, crossing main roads, streets and parks. It's truly a sight, especially at rush hour!

The archeology museum is good, if a bit messy. It's hardly surprising, there's a tonne of building work and restoration going on, so parts are closed and blocked off, others have been temporarily squished in. That aside, the bits that had been finished looked really good. There was stuff from all over the place, carved plaques from Yemen, sarcophagi from Syria, mummies from Egypt, and some stunning Ottoman empire ceramic tiles too:

And also worth visiting, is the Topkopi palace. Think, osbournes house, but Turkish and more colourful. The place was insane, every single spare big of space was decorated, with ceramic tiles, frescos, wood, you name it, there was no expense spared in its construction. It gets mega, mega busy here, especially as there's prophets possessions and the like on display, so make sure you get there as early as you can.

The exquisite and opulent details were incredible, and astonishing. However, like most palaces and buildings of that caliber, there is so much detail that it's impossible to take it all in and enjoy it all. It clashes too much, and you end up missing details and patterns. Maybe that's why Bratislava castle was so memorable. Red carpet, white walls with sparse yet elegant gold additions. Truly memorable. (except Bratislava is a horrible city, and Istanbul is nicer, has better food, warmer and more to do)