The Mighty Bosphorous, Istanbul

My first trip to Istanbul for a board meeting. What a treat I’ve always wanted to visit this mighty city, linking east to west and cut in two by the glorious Bosphorous. From my reading of Orhan Pamuk to the Roman times of Constantinople it had captured my imagination. We had a hotel staying close to Taksim square, famous most recently for the demonstrations that were held there. For our first evening our Turkish professor host took us to a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorous, I was in my element. The evening could not get better until I discovered the person sitting opposite me, and also on the board, was very famous indeed!