O.k. so we got the name figured out, but the culture is a little more complicated. Other Europeans claim that Turkey is clearly in the Middle East, while people in the Middle East consider Turkey an obvious part of Europe. Istanbul is the city where "they" say, The East meets the West.
So here's a quick overview from what I saw: trees line the streets in Istanbul, there's grass everywhere, and often times there's gardens filled with beautiful flowers. The streets are clean, and the traffic is regulated. Very few women wear the Hijab. The Winter fashion is more provacative than anywhere else in the Middle East: dark-haired women in long, black trench coats with tall, black leather boots exposing the mid-section of their legs -- something you'll never find anywhere else in the Middle East! The city is bustling: helicopters fly overhead, tankers come in and out of the bosphorous, and there's plenty of ferries taking people from Europe to Asia (or vice versa), so they can carry on their everyday lives. The Mosques are majestic and are simply enormous. The highlights are the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque (both located within 200 meters of eachother), but the many other Mosques are almost just as massive.
Anyways, my computer sits on my desk lacking any form of consciousness.
