Dervish Dance Istanbul

Five day break in Istanbul. The first night we went to a performance of the Mevlevi Dervishes in the old railway station in Istanbul. The music and dance was very inspirational. The dancers seem to float in rapture. My first visit to the city in 43 years. Much has changed. From a population in 1965 of, I am told, 1.5 million, it has now reached 15 million and rising. Outside the city centre endless tower blocks stretch into the far distance of Asia Minor. The displaced citizens of Anatolia now crowd the outskirts of Istanbul. Even in March the city centre seems really full. The Russians now descend on the Bazaars to pick up cheap goods, Hundreds of people fishing for sprats on Galata bridge. We took the ferry up the Bosphorus and saw a school of dolphins pass close to our boat. Many beautiful old houses along the banks, and huge tankers plying the waters from the Black Sea to the Aegean. More to follow.