?

I'm going to be in Istanbul in mid-August, and I understand that there's a three day public holiday from 18-21st. Can anyone tell me which sights will be closed for the whole holiday, or point me at an English language website with definitive info?

Also, will public transport be affected?

Thanks :)

On previous trips, I've taken Euros for big purchases and exchanged them for Lira as and when I've needed to for daily use, but I was wondering if the upheavals in the Eurozone had affected how acceptable Euros are now in Ìstanbul? Is it worth taking them, should I take Sterling instead, or just stick to Lira?

Many thanks for any insights.

I'm visiting Ìstanbul with my son in August, and he'll be turning 17 while we're there so I'd like to do something special for his birthday. We're staying in Sultanahmet, and doing all the usual tourist sites anyway.

I was thinking of taking him out for dinner, but we've always travelled on a budget before so I don't know which are the good, but not rip-off, restaurants. Another idea was to do a river cruise, but I don't want to do the one that tips you out at that tiny village for 5 hours.

Any ideas gratefully received. Thanks!