Istanbul

Definitely worth a long weekend there. This city has many centuries of history so there are loads of nice things to see. Unless you are going in the summer, don't make the same mistake that I did - bring a jumper or two as it can get very, very cold. The first time I went to Istanbul it was in December and I freezed my miniscule nuts off. We flew Turkish Airlines to Istanbul's main airport ('Ataturk'). This airline used to have a terrible safety record in the past, however recently has come on in leaps and bounds (in some cases, quite literally). I don't think that 'customer service' translates very well in Turkish so let's just say that they are not on my Christmas card list.

Things to see, people to do:
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): first it was a cathedral, then they turned it into a mosque, now - in a superb effort to please everyone - is a museum. Absolutely stunning inside, definitely worth a visit.
The Blue Mosque (Sultanhamet): it's in the same square as Hagia Sophia so you can't really miss it. The (six) minarets and the courtyards make it impressive from the outside - the tiles and the chandeliers make it stunning inside. The muezzin calling the faithful to prayer kind of spoils it for everyone as the first call is at 5 o' flippin clock in the morning. Totally uncalled for, particularly if your hotel is nearby. Oobviously, ours was.
Bosphorus Strait: some people call it a river but it just isn't. It's a stretch of water, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, separating Asia and Europe. Go to the ferry terminal in Eminonu and buy a ticket to one of the terminals on the Asian side. Whoever said that it's all about the journey, not the destination... I dunno if he sailed off from Eminonu but I'm pretty damn sure that he ended up on the Asian side. Particularly recommended on a sunny day.
The Grand Bazaar: one of the largest covered markets in the world - hundreds and hundreds of small shops, selling pretty much everything you can imagine.
The Spice Bazaar / Egyptian market: it's just opposite the ferry terminal in Eminonu. Much smaller than the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar is the place to go for every kind of culinary delight.

Filling your gullet:
You cannot go to Istanbul and not try some of their flavoured tea. Cinnamon, apple, mint..... the choice is endless. Personally I loved the cinnamon and and the mint varieties. On the other side, one of the conditions for allowing Turkey into the EU should be the immediate ban of Turkish coffee. It's not as bad as the espresso that I make every weekend at home but at least you'll never find sand in my coffee. A truly horrible experience.
Another must-have in Istanbul is baklava. There are shops selling just different varieties of this sweet delicacy (and who can blame them?). We tried the original variety, as well as the chocolate and the walnut one. All of them were excellent, however probably the chocolate baklava got the edge in the end. We brought a box of 20-odd baklavas back home and these little gems were still good almost one week later. We got them at Baklavaci SAID, Hudaverdigar Cad. No. 64, Sirkeci, Istanbul (less than 10 min. walk from the Eminomu ferry terminal).