Breakfast buffet at Capital Hotel

Like most hotels in Turkey, Capital had the breakfast included in the room package.

Reaching Capital Hotel, Ankara

There was a free bus to Ulus. Walked to Capital Hotel from the point the free shuttle dropped us at.

On reaching Otogar in Ankara

Another view of Bosphorus

Crossing Bosphorus

Crossing Bosphorus strait and entering Asia.  Have visited Suez but the Suez Canal bridge was not there then.  Since Suez is a man-made canal it should have made more sense to first build the bridge and then dig the canal.
Like Turkey, Egypt too spans over two continents.

Bus to Ankara

Istanbul to Ankara is just over 6 hours.  We used the 'Metro' bus service.

Yet another view of the Otogar

Another view of the Otogar

On reaching the Otogar

Istanbul Metro Station

Istanbul Metro

Getting up one morning and deciding to go to Ankara.  Because of major ongoing railroad work on Istanbul-Ankara segment there were no trains between those cities.  We took metro to reach the Otogar.

A Rumzan video of a Taksim protest

Special Ramazan timings for Taksim Square protests

This protest happened around 11 pm.

Taksim Square in Ramazan

This is what you see when you come out of the Taksim metro station.

Occupy Taksim Square

I was curious to find out what those Taksim Square protests were like.

Ramzan in Istanbul

From our hotel room balcony, I would see these men gather every evening in the backyard of a restaurant.  Waiters would start putting food on their tables; these men would wait and then start eating at the end of their roza (the iftar time).  Was it all just cultural and none of them was really fasting?

Blue Mosque Courtyard

Blue Mosque Courtyard

Blue Mosque Courtyard

Hotel Deniz Houses

Turkish souvenirs

Sultan Ahmet Area

No Kissing

Pious Foundation?

Blue Mosque Friday sign

Area between the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia

Just looking at water on a hot day comforts you

Another sabeel

A sabeel

Technology in Islam

Park

Old Turkish script

Sultan Ahmed Area

Dance

Istanbul

View of the Blue Mosque, during the day

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Jamia Masjid) as seen from its back.

The combo WC-Bidet toilet

Turkish WC's come with a bidet well-positioned to wash you well.

Hotel in the SultanAhmet area

Most of the Turkish hotels are B&B.

Turkish Lira

At the Istanbul AtaTurk airport the best option to get Turkish Liras is to use one of the many ATMs located just outside the Arrivals.  July 2013: 1 USD= 1.95 Turkish Lira.

Istanbul AtaTurk Airport

Outside the arrival lounge.  Among the signs held by the waiting people, there was one for 'Imran Khan' too.

Istanbul AtaTurk Airport

SFO

CalTrain to BART connection can take you to SFO

CalTrain-BART to SFO

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, or with a single CalTrain ride.

Ford Focus in Turkey