One last thing about Istanbul

I forgot to mention all the stray dogs and cats on the streets. Most, if not all, of the dogs have tags in their ears. I read somewhere that this means they don’t have or can’t have rabies because they have been immunised. They all seem to have their own little spot and there is generally a bowl of water nearby or perhaps some scraps of food. None of them look undernourished and the same goes for the cats.

Two dog door!	“Cat mother’s” shop
Best salad ever – I had it twice. Goat’s cheese, walnut with pomegranate molasses!	I’ll pass on this one thanks
Stairs built by a wealthy man to make it easier for his children to get to school	Cat man

Not so uplifting were the number of refugees (I'm guessing from Syria) trying to eke out an existence living on the footpaths. Many had babies or small children with them and there was generally a hat or bowl or something for people to drop money into. The men were usually missing, we're guessing they were off somewhere trying to find some cash in hand work so they could buy food. Goodness knows what they are going to do when the weather changes and it starts to snow. Incredibly sad!