Spectacular Turkey [Part 1: Istanbul]

Hey, hey again! While the gibbon is being generous, I’m using up his computer for as much (or often) as I can. So here I am again! Miss me yet? lol.

So, back to my December adventures as previously mentioned here and here…I had gone to a land that had so much history and so many spectacular and wonderful architecture..Where else can that be but Turkey!

I’ve been there as a child, I was 4 or 5 then and so I didn’t quite remember much of what I saw while i was there. I do remember the apple tea (heaps of it) and the blue mosque, but all the rest is pretty much a blur to me. Since I’m on my break and my mom was on her 2 week holiday, we thought why not go back there? We checked Malaysian Airlines and got the tickets for a pretty good deal (lucky us!). And that was it, booked accommodations and there we go..A holiday planned in a week! We decided to spend approximately 8 days there, and to tell you the truth, it wasn’t nearly enough time. The itinerary was simple: first 4 days in Istanbul, 2 days in Cappadocia, and the final 2 days in Istanbul again. So for part 1 I’ll be sharing with you guys the sites and activities that we had done while we were up and about in the first 4 days!

Must DO’s!!!!

Istaklal Street
We had stayed in the Taksim district at a charming hotel aptly named the Marmara Pera (click on the hotel name to check out prices and pictures). The hotel had a 70′s theme going on, and oh my goodness, I LOVED their furniture! The great thing about this hotel is that is opposite a taxi hub, therefore there was ALWAYS be a cab when you walk out of the hotel. Not only that, it’s VERY close to Istaklal Street, which is the pedestrian street mall that has pretty much all the familiar brands like MNG, Nine west and all that..But there was also local brands, which is worth a browse (some was very cheap!). So as we got ourselves settled in the hotel room, but of course, we headed there first! (Bet all of you saw that coming)

Blue Mosque
The infamous Blue Mosque! How can you miss it..There are no entrance fee, but they do accept donations..And mind you, its an active mosque so just beware there are certain times in the day that you wouldn’t be able to access it due to on-going prayer sessions.

Haghia Sophia
This might be the second architectural piece on earth that has ever taken my breath away. It looks understated from the outside, but wait till you get inside! The scale of things sorta gets to you know, the trick there is due to low hung chandeliers and high ceilings. But I’ll shush right here and have you see for yourself!

Grand Bazaar
Not a particular fan of the bazaar *cue shocked face* from this shopaholic. Although, you’d have to experience it at least once in your life. Beware if you are a young single female, they’d used all kinds of tactics to pull you into their shops: which includes offering a thousand camels to your mother for staying there with em. I think that goes for pretty much everywhere you go in Turkey! But you get to see all the carpets, crafts and misc. that Turkey has to offer…

Spice Market
One of my favourite places in Istanbul! Kept on going back to the market, I think the reason why I loved it was that; compared to the Grand Bazaar, its much MUCH smaller and the market is filled with tonnes of sweets and tea, one of my few favourite things in life. And the colours were divine!

So that’s pretty much the highlights of Istanbul for me, but stay tuned with tales (and pics) on Cappadocia! And here are some of my favourite shots of Istanbul!