 I entered a travel writing competition and there's a bit of cash in it if I win. If you're on Facebook and you'd like to help the competition along, please click on the image above and 'like' the picture on Facebook. A boy's gotta eat. My article is called "Istanbul, the City that Straddles Two Continents" which I adapted from a chapter in my recently published eBook - Turkey, Surviving the Expats.  "Just spitting distance from Hagia Sofia is the Basilica Cistern. Like Hagia Sophia, it was constructed in the reign of Justinian and is the largest of several ancient reservoirs that lie beneath the old city. The enormous vaulted ceiling is held aloft by more than 300 recycled pillars. Two of the bases are carved with visages of Medusa, all bulging eyes and wriggling snake tresses. Don’t worry, you won’t turn to stone if you gaze at their ugly faces. The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 film, ‘From Russia with Love’ which saw James Bond rowing through the waters. If you’re lucky, you may be serenaded by a string quartet as you saunter round. A short stroll from the cistern is the Grand Bazaar, a must-see on anyone’s itinerary. This 500 year old structure is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with 3,000 shops. These days, you can sip on a latte while taking in the biblical vibe dissonantly blended with the Chinese-made tat." Read the full article on We Said Go Travel.
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