TravBlog: Where the East Meets the West

The month of May has brought Mark and I two new adventures, the first of which was to Istanbul, Turkey. One thing I must note is that we find ourselves going further and further away from Central Europe in search of new and exotic places, such as Turkey. I've wanted to go to Istanbul since I was 7 or 8 when I learned that it's the only city that lies on both European and Asian continent (and we all know how much I like geography!). The dream finally come true, and I got to take the boat along Bosporus strait from Europe and Asia and back. My expectations have certainly been met - Istanbul really is a city where not only the two continents, but two cultures meet. It's a lovely fusion of Middle Eastern and Arabic influence with a modern European spin, translating into beautiful architecture, tasty food and interesting culture.

Our day 1 was all about exploring the 'old'. We stayed in the oldest Istanbul district, Sultanahmet - home to all the grand mosques and ancient architecture. We started by visiting the Grand bazaar where one can buy anything from scarves, to a lather jacket, to a rug, to a fake LV. I must admit that it was cool to walk it, but it did feel like a bit of a tourist trap. They charge European price for things made in Turkey...and knowing how clothing supply chain works, there's no way this makes sense! We then proceeded to visit the Suleymaniye mosque - my first mosque visit ever. It was very cool - a spectacular grand building. I was a little surprised to find it quite basic inside (still beautifully decorated with tile mosaics though), but I guess it's just the style. After visiting the remains of the ancient aqueducts (that now frame a highway), we ventured into the Spice Bazaar for some yummy lunch and sweets sampling. Just as expected the Turkish delight candies in Turkey really rocked! We finished the day by crossing the bridge to the other side to climb the Galata tower for 360 view of the city. It's a beautiful sight with the 5 mosques, the Aye Sofia and the fortress framing each one of the main 7 hills, but to be honest, I don't think that there's a single spot in Istanbul that would deliver a true 360 view. The city, after all, does span 2 continents and have the population of 18 million...

Day 2 was all about the 'new'. We relocated to a hotel in the 'new' area, i.e. the business centre/shopping/nightlife side of Istanbul. It had a totally different feel from Sultanahmet - nice cars, designer labels everywhere, and trendy resto's. The day was a lot more chill, with us taking the cruise along Bosphorus to get a view of the greater Istanbul. The views were very beautiful: some of modern bridges, some of posh neighbourhoods spread out across the hills and overlooking the city, and some of ancient fortification from ages ago. We finished the day by hanging out under the bridge. Sounds weird, but that's what everybody does - the bridge has a row of restos and cafes right underneath it , and people go there for a pint to relax and to enjoy the views of the water and the city.

Day 3 was my day of solo explorations, and I had a ball! Mark was unfortunately stuck at work, but I got the day to explore the city on my own. I started off my getting a traditional Turkish breakfast of delicious pastries...of course, they didn't speak English at the cafe, so I had to randomly point to the things that I wanted, not knowing what they were - my fave way to try new food lol. I then took a walk along the coast to take a tram back to Sultanahmet to check out the Topkapi Palace - the old official residence of Ottoman sultans for the last 600+ years. Making friends with a tour guide along the way, I got a free tour of the palace with all its rich and fascinating history. My favourite part was the history behind the Harem...I didn't know that the Sultan actually pad the woman to be in his Harem, while providing them with education along the way so they could come out rich, educated and in-demand high society ladies after 9 years of service. Having had my fill of history, I ventured back to the 'new' Istanbul for some serious shopping. Istanbul has a main shopping street that is probably good 3 km long, and this is what I spent walking/shopping for 5 hours. It was a neat experience, because you see anything from designer label shops, to 'bazaars' - underground mall full of cheap 2-dollar Turkish knock offs of brands. This is where I made my discovery of the trip - that Primark brands actually come from Turkey, where they are even cheaper! lol

So this was Turkey! I definitely want to come back to explore the country outside of Istanbul. I think my next place there would be somewhere with a beach as I discovered that just like in Barcelona, I was able to get a beautiful golden tan without burning there. Nice! Here are some pictures to describe our trip:

Suleymaniye mosque