Istanbul (not Constantinople) - Tuesday

Another lazy morning, getting to our third and final buffet breakfast bonanza just before 10am deadline. Stuffed with tasty morsels, we packed up and checked out, leaving our bags at the hotel, and walked down to the Dolmabache Palace.

The Palace is little off the beaten track for most tourists, but is definitely worth a visit, for the amazing European style opulence, the stunning crystal chandeliers and the grand waterfront gardens. A beautiful building in a beautiful setting.

We strolled back to base, collected our bags and took a final taxi to Taksim Square where we picked up the Havas bus. Reaching the airport at 14.45, we were first in the queue for our return flight check-in, and whiled away the next 2 hours the lounge, duty free and burger king restaurant.

A good flight back, although I'm not sure the raising of the Kursk hit quite the right tone on the in-flight documentary front! And descending towards Heathrow over central London on a clear-as-a-bell night was amazing.