Istanbul

After our trip to Oman we stayed a couple of days in Istanbul on the way back. We flew in in the afternoon and got the metro to our hotel, right in the historic district. After a day of travelling, and the rain coming down hard outside, we had dinner in the restaurant underneath the hotel and went to bed early. 

The next day we were up early, ready to go and explore the city. Breakfast, while included in the hotel rate, was not actually in the restaurant that was connected to the hotel, the person on desk took us outside and around the corner and across the road to another hotel. 

We found our way back and began the day. We started by finding Sultanahmet square, where the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are. The Blue Mosque was free, so we went and looked inside there first. There were cats everywhere in this city too, even inside the mosque!

We then crossed the square to see the Hagia Sofia. This was ticketed entry, but we got to see the inside of the mosque from the balcony, and there was an audio guide you could use on your phone which gave more information about the area. There was even an AR segment which let you look through a locked door and see a mosaic restored. 

After the mosque we went to find the Grand Bazaar, but it was closed that day, so we went in search of the Egyptian Bazaar instead. This indoor market was filled with stores selling tea, spices and sweets, with everyone offering samples and trying to catch your attention. It was busy, but we walked through taking everything in.

Once we'd reached the other end, we discovered we were right by the bridge which would take us over to the European side of the city, so we crossed. The underneath part of the bridge was lined with seafood restaurants and there were fishermen dangling their rods over the side. We got a great view of both sides of the city from here. 

On the other side, we walked up to Galata Tower. It was lined by streets filled with French pastry shops and buildings that looked straight out of continental Europe. Very different to the Roman walls and Mosques of the old city. 

We took a route that took us to a vegan cafe where we were able to try (vegan) Turkish kebab and dumplings. We were the only people in there that day, and the owner told us about a church just around the corner that we should check out. 

After eating, that's exactly what we did. We took a couple of turns to find this pretty church and visited the inside. We then carried on twisting and turning down little streets until we suddenly popped out on a busy highstreet. We saw another, bigger church here and then it started to rain so we paused to come up with a plan. 

We found a museum of illusions which I'd never been to before so we decided that could be fun to visit. 

After the museum, we walked through the city again to the historic district and tried to find the basilica cistern. We found the exit pretty easily, but could not find the entrance! We circled a few times until we eventually found a new sign and made our way in out of the rain. 

This was very cool. 336 pillars underground creating a space for water to flow and feed the city, made by the Romans. There were a few art installations too and they cycled through different colours of light which gave it completely different atmospheres.

 

After this we were pretty damp and cold so we went back to hotel room to dry off before dinner. We picked an area close by that looked cheap and cheerful and it turned out to be a pretty fun place. Each of the waiters started to give Mitchell little shoulder rubs each time they passed and when he tried to ask for the bill he was told to finish his dinner first. When we finished they served us pomegranate tea which was really sweet and tasty. 

The next day we found our way to the breakfast hotel and then checked out of ours. Our flight wasn't until the evening, so we had most of the day to explore some more. We mainly did a lot of walking, firstly to the Topkapi Palace where decided the tickets were a bit too expensive, and then for a walk along the coast. It was cold today, but there were lots of cats to see and it had a nice view of the city. We then walked through Gulhane Park and saw the column of the Goths (from the 3rd or 4th C).

We then went back to the Grand Bazaar to see if it was open today. It was and very busy. Absolutely anything you could want, you could find there. Jewellery, rugs, teacups, spices, clothes, leather, tiaras, sweets and more. Apparently there are over 4000 shops and I could believe it. The lanes twist and turn and I don't know how you'd ever find anything specific. I do now know that I want a Turkish rug in my house though. 

We got a quick lunch outside and then walked through the University district with its lovely buildings. We also came across a book bazaar so we had to go and see that. 

We also found another mosque, Yeni Camii, which was very pretty and had views overlooking the city. 

We were getting very cold at this point (I'd checked the weather before we went to Oman it had promised chilly weather between 6 and 9 degrees, but this day it only got to about 2 and at one point started to hail) so we ducked into a cafe for some tea and pistachio cake. 

We decided to call it a day there as we'd seen everything in the area and it was only getting colder and wetter. We went back to pick up our bags and make our way to the airport. 

We had a great time exploring Istanbul, and hopefully we can revisit one day when it's a bit warmer!

Lots of love

Emily and Mitchell

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