I strolled up famous İstiklal Avenue, one of the great walking/shopping/window-shopping streets in Europe, enjoyed a quick ride on the historic little tram, took one last look at Galata Tower, then crossed the Golden Horn for final photos of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia as the sun set...

The Grand Bazaar (Büyük Çarşı or Kapalıçarşı in Turkish) in Istanbul is full of life and sound and wonderful aromas. The sense of history weighs on you everywhere, and more recently it's been the location for a number of fun films, like James Bond Skyfall. The guides from Come See Turkey took us up onto the roof in a few places for some spectacular views of the city...

On the morning of my third day on my Come See Turkey trip, we left the hotel in Karaköy, crossed the Galata Bridge, and explored the Balat neighborhood in Istanbul. I'd say this area is best described as colorful, beautiful decay. Every nook and corner provides another great photo opportunity. I could have stayed there all day, but of course many other adventures awaited...

In the middle of day three of my Come See Turkey trip, we visited the Topkapi Palace. When the Ottomans conquered the city 500 years ago, they rebuilt the ruined Roman imperial palace and administration complex into what would eventually become called Topkapi. Though renovated over the centuries, much of the original complex remains. And to my delight, they grow many, many tulips...

On my third day in Istanbul for my Come See Turkey trip, we stopped by for a quick visit to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, often called the Blue Mosque because of the bright turquoise tilework in the building's interior. So lovely...

In the middle of the third day of my Come See Turkey trip, we explored the magnificent Hagia Sophia, aka the Ayasofya. What was once the Romans' first Christian cathedral and then a mosque under the Ottomans, it is now a very popular museum (and deservedly so). And though it stands as an astonishing testament to Roman architecture, it would not be standing at all if not for Ottoman architects maintaining it...

The trip kicked into high gear here on day two. We started off the day with a press conference with reporters from across the area. Many of us were interviewed individually after the conference. (Additionally a crew from Turkish television accompanied us on nearly the whole trip.)

The first day of the trip was stretched out to over 36 hours with traveling across the globe from my house in Oregon to Istanbul. On arrival, I was driven to the Karaköy district to the Hotel Gradiva (now I believe named the Purl) to catch my breath.  As the sun set, we then had an orientation meeting at Mustafa's studio a short walk away...

The government of Turkey flew me there in April 2014 to take photographs and promote tourism as a part of their Come See Turkey program. Here are some of my favorite images from Istanbul.