On my way to Greece for a business trip I had a layover in Istanbul, Turkey. Rather than just spending two hours in the airport, I spent two nights in the city and explored one of the places on my bucket list.
I’m not sure when I decided I wanted to visit Istanbul but it was quite a while ago. I think my trip to Lebanon in 2015 reignited, or maybe solidified, my desire to travel there. I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
The city is beautiful and the food is amazing! I stayed in an Air BnB not far from Taksim Square and managed to get by without speaking any Turkish (thank you Google Translate).
The first day I walked over 13 miles as I visited the Galata Tower, the Egyptian spice bazaar, and the Grand bazaar, Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topakpi Palace, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. While they were all stunning, I think my favorite may have been the Cistern. It was beautiful down there and I assume that the mosques and palaces would be beautiful but you don’t expect an underground water storage facility to have just intricate and ornate beauty. Another thing I cannot begin to describe is the overwhelming intensity of the spice markets. The myriad of smells all mixing together is quite the experience!
The next day I walked another 6.5 miles, this time carrying my duffle bag and backpack as I was heading for the airport. I took the ferry across the Bosporus to Üsküdar on the Asian side for lunch. I also found a Geocache, giving me three finds on two different continents in the same day!
The food was amazing but to be honest, I’m not sure what I was even ordering at the time. Picture menus were very helpful since I was by myself. But there wasn’t a single thing that I didn’t like!It was a quick trip but I’d love to go back and explore some more.
Typical European street Taksim Square monument Popular shopping street near Taksim Galata Tower (1348 AD) The view from Galata Tower Inside the Basilica Cistern Amazing columns for a water storage facility The Medusa Head sculpture inside the Basilica Cistern The spice market Inside the Egyptian Bazaar Hagia Sophia (547 AD) Inside Hagia Sophia The Blue Mosque, looking from Hagia Sophia Entryway into the Blue Mosque The Blue Mosque Prayer area inside the Blue Mosque Entrance to Topkapi Palace Gateway to Archaeology Museum Part of the original wall of Babylon (2300 BC) Cool lamps for sale near Galata Tower Lamb and yogurt Chicken Doner Kebab Stuffed mushrooms Lahmacan (Turkish pizza)
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