This past New Year Amelie and I had a brief, but wonderful trip to Istanbul. We left Miles our 8 month old son with the grandparents and dropped in on one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. There are so many things to see and do in this active and welcoming city that our 4 days were packed full of history and food and sometimes food and history mixed together. Our greatest surprise was running into our friends from Roma in the middle of the Grand Bazaar with no idea that they were in the city. Chiara and Alexandro ended up being a huge highlight for us and we proceeded to share adventures with them throughout the trip. We spent two days on the Asian side with a view of the sea (above) and two days in Beyolglu with views of the smokey alleys of the true city heart.