Istanbul, Turkey.

The history, the sites, the food, the bustle, the east-meets-west. Here’s a fitting description the Istanbul energy from Turkish author, Elif Shafak:

“Perhaps the very first thing to grasp about this mesmerizing metropolis is that there is no such thing as Istanbul. In truth, there are multiple Istanbuls — clashing, competing, struggling and, at times, coexisting. This is a liquid city, where nothing is yet settled. Imbued with a restless energy, spanning two continents, it is constantly changing, still searching for itself.”

Istanbul houses a massive 16 million people on the border where Asia and Europe collide.

Our last stop in Turkey, we saw and did a LOT: the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Basilica Cistern, Istanbul Modern art museum, the Illusion Museum, a Turkish bath, and boat ride on the Bosphorus. After a daily Turkish breakfast spread at our hotel, we ate lots of chicken döner kebabs, köfte meatballs, and various forms of bread.