So the next stop on our trip was Istanbul! We were very excited to be meeting Ed's Mum and sister out there. To save some money we had opted to take a slightly unusual flight which meant flying with Saudi Arabian airlines via a 13 hour stop off in Jeddah! It seemed like such a good idea when booking it on the internet 6 months ago! I had decided to dress as conservatively as possible, but it was Ed who was asked to change as shorts were not permitted on the flight. Waiting for our flight is became clear that this was a very popular Muslim flight as it is the closest airport to Mecca and we were flying during Ramadan. We arrived in Jeddah about 10pm and we were happy to receive free coupons for breakfast and dinner at the canteen. Our next flight wasn't until 10am and there was not chance of sleeping as all the seats had metal armrests. It was pretty hard going for the next 12 hours and we were both exhausted by the morning. On our next flight we were both asleep by take off! We pretty much slept walked through Istanbul airport and onto the subway to the city centre. Lucy and Anne were waiting for us in the lobby and is was really lovely to see them. Our room as amazing after slumming it in Indonesia. We had a HUGE comfy bed, 4 towels and a hot shower!! We were in heaven!!! At the top of the hotel there was a stunning view of the Istanbul skyline.
The following morning we all made extensive use of the all you can eat breakfast buffet! Our first stop in the city was the Blue Mosque. From the outside it is absolutely stunning and the interior is decorated with intricate Islamic patterns. The carpet was beautiful and amazingly soft under your feet! En route to the Blue Mosque you walk past a nice park area with a large water fountain overlooking another very old mosque called Aya Sofya. During prayers the two mosques call to each other from opposite ends of the park. In the afternoon we wandered around the city and visited another mosque called Suleymaniye which is technically the largest mosque in Istanbul. Once inside one of the most beautiful aspects of the mosque was its decorated dome. For lunch we ate our first doner which were ready available on every street corner! Once fed we went to the Basilica Cistern which is a cool underground water system used to pump water into one of the old palaces. It was beautifully lit, held up by thick stone pillars. The was still some water inside which was home to some very large fish!
On the second day we firstly paid a visit to the Grand Bazaar which is over 1500 years old and is separated into different sections according to what they're selling. There were lots of nice porcelain shops selling beautiful bowls and jugs. We stopped for some Turkish apple teas in one of the small tea shops. Afterwards we walked through the Spice Bazaar which was a bustling, lively place full of loud Turkish men trying to lure you into their shop. We got coaxed into a Turkish Delight shop by some free tasters. Ed and I bought a box of assorted turkist delight which we had nearly completely demolished by the evening! The pomegranate and pistachio ones were particularly moreish!It was nearly lunch time so I got a cheap lunch of a pretzel and some orange juice. Ed had seen a sign for a pastrami sandwich so went to investigate but returned carrying a very sorry looking corn on the cob which wasn't really cooked through but the charcoal stubbornly sat between his teeth for quite some time!
The following day, Lucy unfortunately wasn't feeling too great so took the morning off. Anne, Ed and I visited the archaeological museum. They had a huge collection of sarcophaguses from all over the Ottoman Empire. Many of them were 1000s of years old. They were beautifully sculpted in marble and it was incredible how well they had been preserved. In the afternoon, Lucy and I chilled out in the park and soaked up the atmosphere near Aya Sofya. Ed went and did his own walking adventure tour. For dinner we found a little place in a small alley. I ate some delicious lamb, tomato and aubergine. We all shared some baklava for dessert!
On Wednesday we headed to Aya Sofya which is now a museum but is the oldest church/mosque in Istanbul. It's roughly 1500 years old. It was originally a church but then it was turned into a mosque when the Ottomans took over. It's perhaps not as amazing on the outside but the inside is really impressive. It has a large dome and in different sections there are intricate Christian mosaics and wall frescoes. We explored the lower and upper levels all morning.
We took the tram down to the pier and went on a two hour boat trip along the Bosphoros river. We sat in a shady spot on the top deck. We sailed past some amazing hotels and old grand palaces. We went all the way to the old fort built by Memet III who invaded Istanbul by dragging his boats up a hill and invading around the back! The boat offered a lovely view of the Istanbul skyline with both the European and Asian parts. We eventually disembarked the boat and walked across the bridge to find the funicular railway. En route we got tempted by a fried mackerel sandwich on sale along the bridge. The train brought us up to Iskaklal Cadessi which is the main shopping street in Istanbul. It is completely pedestrianised save for the old traditional tram which chugs along the middle of the street .Within the first 10 minutes Ed and I had spotted a colourful turkish delight shop and purchased some baklava and pomegranate turkish delight. We slowly wandered up the street ending in Taksin Square.
Had our last morning breakfast at the Adamar Hotel then visited the Tombs of a Sultan in Aya Sofya. We also saw the Obelix and ate doner kebabs overlooking the square. In the evening we said our goodbyes to Anne and Lucy and hopped on a train to Plovidiv, Bulgaria.
The following morning we all made extensive use of the all you can eat breakfast buffet! Our first stop in the city was the Blue Mosque. From the outside it is absolutely stunning and the interior is decorated with intricate Islamic patterns. The carpet was beautiful and amazingly soft under your feet! En route to the Blue Mosque you walk past a nice park area with a large water fountain overlooking another very old mosque called Aya Sofya. During prayers the two mosques call to each other from opposite ends of the park. In the afternoon we wandered around the city and visited another mosque called Suleymaniye which is technically the largest mosque in Istanbul. Once inside one of the most beautiful aspects of the mosque was its decorated dome. For lunch we ate our first doner which were ready available on every street corner! Once fed we went to the Basilica Cistern which is a cool underground water system used to pump water into one of the old palaces. It was beautifully lit, held up by thick stone pillars. The was still some water inside which was home to some very large fish!
On the second day we firstly paid a visit to the Grand Bazaar which is over 1500 years old and is separated into different sections according to what they're selling. There were lots of nice porcelain shops selling beautiful bowls and jugs. We stopped for some Turkish apple teas in one of the small tea shops. Afterwards we walked through the Spice Bazaar which was a bustling, lively place full of loud Turkish men trying to lure you into their shop. We got coaxed into a Turkish Delight shop by some free tasters. Ed and I bought a box of assorted turkist delight which we had nearly completely demolished by the evening! The pomegranate and pistachio ones were particularly moreish!It was nearly lunch time so I got a cheap lunch of a pretzel and some orange juice. Ed had seen a sign for a pastrami sandwich so went to investigate but returned carrying a very sorry looking corn on the cob which wasn't really cooked through but the charcoal stubbornly sat between his teeth for quite some time!
The following day, Lucy unfortunately wasn't feeling too great so took the morning off. Anne, Ed and I visited the archaeological museum. They had a huge collection of sarcophaguses from all over the Ottoman Empire. Many of them were 1000s of years old. They were beautifully sculpted in marble and it was incredible how well they had been preserved. In the afternoon, Lucy and I chilled out in the park and soaked up the atmosphere near Aya Sofya. Ed went and did his own walking adventure tour. For dinner we found a little place in a small alley. I ate some delicious lamb, tomato and aubergine. We all shared some baklava for dessert!
On Wednesday we headed to Aya Sofya which is now a museum but is the oldest church/mosque in Istanbul. It's roughly 1500 years old. It was originally a church but then it was turned into a mosque when the Ottomans took over. It's perhaps not as amazing on the outside but the inside is really impressive. It has a large dome and in different sections there are intricate Christian mosaics and wall frescoes. We explored the lower and upper levels all morning.
We took the tram down to the pier and went on a two hour boat trip along the Bosphoros river. We sat in a shady spot on the top deck. We sailed past some amazing hotels and old grand palaces. We went all the way to the old fort built by Memet III who invaded Istanbul by dragging his boats up a hill and invading around the back! The boat offered a lovely view of the Istanbul skyline with both the European and Asian parts. We eventually disembarked the boat and walked across the bridge to find the funicular railway. En route we got tempted by a fried mackerel sandwich on sale along the bridge. The train brought us up to Iskaklal Cadessi which is the main shopping street in Istanbul. It is completely pedestrianised save for the old traditional tram which chugs along the middle of the street .Within the first 10 minutes Ed and I had spotted a colourful turkish delight shop and purchased some baklava and pomegranate turkish delight. We slowly wandered up the street ending in Taksin Square.
Had our last morning breakfast at the Adamar Hotel then visited the Tombs of a Sultan in Aya Sofya. We also saw the Obelix and ate doner kebabs overlooking the square. In the evening we said our goodbyes to Anne and Lucy and hopped on a train to Plovidiv, Bulgaria.
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