Istanbul: First Impressions

When it comes to travel subtlety is often lost on me.  I like things that are smack-you-in-the-face beautiful.  And Istanbul -- with its hilly streets, pastel-colored buildings, and famous sights -- is just that.  That's not to say the city is without its drawbacks (more on this to come in a future post).  But in terms of pure scenery, it must rank among the most beautiful cities in the world.  (I'm also told the food is spectacular, but to date I've been too afraid to try anything adventurous -- with my allergy to all things "nut" related and Turkey's strange habit of putting "nuts" into certain foods while, at the same time, not having a word for "nut" in the Turkish language so that I can effectively communicate my allergy.)

My time has been split between running through Lonely Planet's "must see" list and, I'm sad to say, finally studying for the bar exam.  I'm not sure how effective this study arrangement will be but I do think it'll be cool to say I studied for the bar in an apartment in Istanbul, though, obviously less so if I have to say I failed because I did that.