"Returning" here has two meanings. First, returning from the lovely strangeness of Uzbekistan in Central Asia to the somewhat more familiar atmosphere of Turkey on the border of Europe. Second, we were in Turkey in 1992, when the population of Istanbul was about 7 million. Now it's doubled, to more than 15 million in 2021 - the fifth largest urban conglomeration in the world.
Fortunately, much of the growth seems to have happened on the outskirts (such as the great expansion we saw as we were driven in from the new, huge, international airport.) The historic inner city seemed as colorful and atmospheric - and crowded - as we had remembered. Here are some scenes from our first day of wandering.
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