Istanbul

I wanted to come to Istanbul because my brother and sis-in-law had their honeymoon there and had great reviews for it. Still i consider it an adventure coz it's quite exotic destination isn't it?

A rather scary train ride from Thessaloniki involved conductors knocking on our carriage door, asking for our passports, disappearing with it for an hr, then returning it to us! Turkey isn't exactly in the European Union (yet?), hence the mobile custom checks. Overnight train rides in Eastern Europe aren't exactly comfortable, but it's an unique experience nonetheless!

Istanbul is a truly vibrant and colourful city. I love the energy, the smell of grill in the streets, rich colours, blaring sounds, smell of spices. It's definitely an exciting place to visit.. highly recommended!

Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country with a secular government aiming to join the EU. Even though Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, its capital is Ankara. Istanbul used to be known as Constantinople, was the capital of the Byzantine empire, fell to the Ottoman Turks,  spans both Europe and Asia, famous for its Sheesh kebabs, Turkish baths, Turkish Coffee and Apple Teas, Turkish Delight etc etc.. its truly a place full of spectacular history.  Of course, Istanbul is also where Liverpool FC was crowned European Champions for the 5th time, overcoming a 3-0 deficit at half time, winning in the penalty shootout. =)

We arrived early in the morning and checked into our hostel. Great location.. walking distance from the famous Grand Bazaar, Cemberlitas bath, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Train station right at our doorstep and good food nearby. But i totally forgot the name of the hostel! (it was 1 year ago)

Little narrow streets lined with shops.. go on for miles!

The Grand Bazaar was huge and maze like. Lots of little random stuff.. bags/lamps/paintings/rugs/food/everything.. gets really crowded later in the day.. but really nice for a shopping walkabout!

 

 Shisha smoking is apparently more dangerous than cigarettes

What i miss most about Istanbul is the food! The first meal we had in Istanbul was Mind Blowing. I'm not kidding. We ordered 2 different types of lamb kebabs (spicy and non spicy), plus some chicken thing. It came with a basket of (incredibly yummy) bread and a salsa-like salad for dipping. A group of Americans came in and we recommended to them what we had. I MISS KOMSU KEBAP! I wonder if they do inter-continental deliveries.

Heavenly!

Wei Sing rubbing a "magic lamp"

The Spice Bazaar

Turkish Delights of numerous kinds

Arriving at the riverside

We needed to cross to the other side coz there was this train system that brings us up the hill. We wanted to visit the area near Taksim Square.. where the higher end shops were..

 

Taksim Square

 

After a tiring day walking, we headed to Cemberlitas, a bath with lots of history. I needed to get (almost) naked with other men in a bath and marble heated from below. Then i lay down and was awaited my turn. A big fat and hairy Turkish guy called me over, foamed me and frickin exfoliated me. I finally had my Turkish Bath experience!

Ri Hao and i waited.. clean and relaxed.. waiting for Wei Sing to come out from the girls side..  

We were up early to try to beat the crowds. I was really excited to be in Istanbul because honestly i was getting bored of seeing churches. Today was Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia day!

The Blue Mosque, or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a stunning piece of architecture. It is awesomely huge and grand, with blue tiles lining the main dome. It has 6 minarets, which apparently mean that it is the place for the Sultan to worship. (Mosques around the world have between 1 - 6 minarets.) One is immediately struck by the intricacy of the interior. We had to take off our shoes as a form of respect.

Right opposite the Blue Mosque was the Hagia Sophia.

The Hagia Sophia was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and was the largest cathedral in the world for about 1000 years. The dome structure was ground breaking at that time. When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, Sultan Mehmed converted the church into a mosque. Minarets were added and it was converted into the Ayasofya mosque. Christian Icons and decorations were covered with plaster and carpets were added. The first president of the modern Republic of Turkey Mustafa Artaturk transformed it into a museum in 1935. Even till now, experts are painstakingly restoring the Hagia Sophia. Mosaics there were covered with plaster are still being uncovered. Because of its history, it has both Christian Orthodox and Islamic influences, making it very unique!

 

Worker uncovers ceiling mosaics

 

Christian symbols were painted over

Library

 

Notice the entire altar is off-centre. It doesn't align with the pillar because it was shifted to point to Mecca.

There are 2 of these huge urns, carved from single blocks of marble.

Sticking your thumb and turning a full circle apparently brings good luck. The hole was caused by the sword of a soldier.

These iconic mosaics on the wall are made of thousands of little tiles!

Religious fountain

The Hagia Sophia is really worth visiting!

Can't get enough of yummy kebabs

I think she did buy a belly dancing thingy.. haha

Came across the University of Istanbul

Turkish Coffee =)

Boy selling flowers at the road junction

 

This is a Roman viaduct to transport water

Go off the beaten path.. the road less travelled.. see what the locals see..

 

a slice of home

 

 We came across a wedding procession!

The riverfront gets busy as the sun sets..

 

A floating fish-burger shop.. probably cooking the day's catch!

I was the 31st of May! I remember coz i was wearing the Mr Fussy T-shirt that Yuan got my brother to bring over to me.. Celebrating my birthday overseas.. a first for me! The cupcake is from Wei Sing and Ri Hao =)

We booked a day trip around Istanbul.. starting with a boat ride down the Bosporus Strait, separating Europe and Asia!

That's just gross la Ri Hao!

 

No ordinary suspension bridge! It spans the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side

A bit too windy to be wearing berms.. yesterday's whether tricked us.

 

The tour included a cable car ride down from a vantage point.

Underground water cistern

Of course such tours include places for us to spend money! The guys showing the difference between Turkish carpets and others.. Lots of choose from.. free delivery to your home!

 

Dolmerbahce Palace is the palace with the best preserved interior.. Showing off the luxury of former Sultans! No pictures allow inside however..

 

There was a street procession going on because the team Besiktas just won the Turkish football league

I really Turkish food!

Our final day in Istanbul.. spent exploring the rest of the sights..

Fountain with lots of pigeon shit around it

Topkapi palace.. we didn't enter coz we need to pay!

 

We were invited into this little house by this old man.. turns out that this place is the Istanbul Library!? Very friendly and hospitable librarian =)

 

Pizza-like goodness with assorted bits of yummy meat

When we were on the boat ride, the guide told us about the Roman built walls. So we decided to go check it out. Really hard to get and we took a local bus.. which was quite fun ~ and exciting..

Steep climbing needed.. but the view was worth it..

 

Playful little boys.. curious about Chinese people? haha

Stumbled upon a really cool local's market.. didn't see another tourist and i really liked that..

 

Wei Sing was freaking out because we went past this street with maybe 100 stray cats

Slow walk by the fish market and seaside.. as our time in Istanbul winds down..

Politician giving a speech?

Mascot of some sort

Istanbul was the closest to Singapore we had been! haha.. we even stepped onto the Asian continent.. I really enjoyed Istanbul.. but at this point even the lamb kebabs were getting jelat (too over) and we were all looking forward to returning to Finnish soil..

Next up.. Tampere!