Istanbul
"If there is only one state in this world, Istanbul would be a capital of it", were the words said by Napoleon.

There are many great cities in this world and Istanbul is one of them: located upon two continents with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other arm to Europe, the city is alive with history and true beauty. Cosmopolitan in it's character and spiritual in it's soul, Istanbul nowadays is the combination of everything: modern skyscrapers and luxurious shopping centres, contemporary 5 star hotels and wooden houses located next to each other, monuments and museums that are thousands of years old, city of mosques and Christian churches, 7 hills and 2 seas: Black and Marmara and, of course, one the most unforgettable and breathtaking views of the world that is the view of the Bosphorus channel.

For the most concentrated experience... The Harem in Topkapi Palace.
A cruise up the Bosphorus past imperial palaces and traditional villages.
A performance of Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" performed in the Seraglio itself (Topkapi Palace) (mid-June to mid-July)
An open-air dinner on the Bosphorus shore.
Hearing the call to prayer from Istanbul's 500+ mosques from atop the Galata Tower, preferably at sunset.
A few hours' window-shopping among the 4000 shops of the Grand Bazaar.
A few minutes' quiet meditation in a mosque.
The Byzantine mosaics in the Kariye Museum (Chora Church). Breathtaking!
A "raki table:" dozens of Turkish hors d'oeuvres ("meze") served with raki (grape brandy flavoured with anise).