Istanbul's winter charm

Finally...Turkey's capital has been on our travel list for a while!

The terrorist attack and a bomb exploding in front of the Blue Mosque only days before our planned departure threw some questions and doubts...but we decided not to give up. Never let the terrorists decide about the borders of your freedom and mobility. After all that's what they want. 

Another setback was thrown at us when I realised that my old and well-travelled passport will not allow me to apply for the Turkish e-visa as it is not valid for long enough. Visa itself came a bit as a surprise as we had not somehow thought about that when preparing for a trip. 

Nevertheless on a last flight from London Stansted on Thursday 21st January we embarked on our first Turkish adventure. The double fees for my visa and an administrative hassle at the airport upon the arrival was not going to ruin my mood.

Day 1 - 22nd January 2016
We got to Kadikoy (Istanbul's neighbourhood on the Asian side of the city) from the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport by bus, where we jumped on a ferry to cross the Bosphorus Strait, admiring this majestic city waking up for a new day (picture below).

Historical mosques towering over the city, high minarets and loud voices of imams calling for prayer plus an aroma of a strong Turkish tea being served on the boat were the very first impressions we soaked in.

We took a nice and long stroll to our small hotel in the Sultanahmet (Old Town area), passing by the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque (picture below) and taking early morning shots of them with no one in the background (photographer's dream).

Our hotel manager turned out to be a very friendly person, who even allowed us to pay in three different currencies for the accommodation and offered us a complimentary breakfast. Revived by our first local meal (picture below) and having wrapped ourselves warm (the winter here is much colder than I thought), we took off onto the streets of this historical city. 

We started with Hagia Sophia tombs of sultans and the now museum. No crowds of tourists, queues everywhere, the city was completely deserted....very bizarre feeling...just the police everywhere you look... Hagia Sophia itself is definitely worth a visit - it is one of the most special cultural monuments I have ever visited. A perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium traditions under one very impressive dome.

The second stop for us was Basilica Cistern, an underground 'sunken palace' built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Its inverted Medusa pillar (picture below) featured prominently in Dan Brown's 'Inferno' and the climate of this place - dimly-lit interior, water reflecting the ancient pillars and a quiet music playing in the background is absolutely unique.

Next step on our journey - Mado Café for sahlep (Traditional Turskish winter drink), pistachio ice cream and baklava - yummy!

Having rested for a bit, we went to see the famous Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), built between 1609-1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its popular name comes from the colour of tiles surrounding the walls of interior design (picture below). And the interior is spectacular indeed.

One of the most common attractions that one think of when travelling to a Middle Eastern country is probably a bazaar and there is quite a few of them in Istanbul. We started with the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. There was so much to admire from colourful traditional lamps, gold glittering jewellery, home knick knacks, hand-made traditional carpets, rich variety of teapots and tea sets, merchants constantly calling your name and inviting you in, tea being served on the move and smell of incents everywhere. The Spice Bazaar with vividly colourful spices and many varieties of Turkish sweets, including the famous Turkish Delight was the second market we visited.

Our walk through the narrow and twisted streets of the city has taken us to the riverside and across the Galata Bridge, where we could admire the views of the Golden Horn (in Turkish - Haliç), onto the Asian part of Istanbul - Karakoy.

The weather got really chilly and snowy, so we were glad to be able to hide from it in one of the little tea shops and enjoyed the famous strong Turkish tea (or in my case and apple tea). The weather, long walking, anxiety caused by the visa and the post-terrorist attack has really taken a toll on us and we decided to have an early night in.

Day 2 - 23rd January 2016

After a really long night sleep and our traditional Turkish breakfast enjoyed on the rooftop terrace, we set off to visit the Topkapi Palace, major residence of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years (1465-1856). The weather was really on our side, although snowy and windy, the sun made it a lovely day. We paid few Liras extra to see the famous Harems and after the visit to the palace went back to the riverside to enjoy the fish sandwich and strong Turkish tea on one of the colourful boat-restaurants docked along the shore (picture below). 

Having crossed the Galata bridge onto the Asian part of the town, we took the Tunel funicular, the second oldest subterrenean urban rail line after London - it is such a convenient way to climb (or descend) the steep slope between Karakoy Square and Tunel Square. We got off at the southern end of the Istiklal (Independence) Avenue, popular shopping street with classic red trams (picture below) leading onto the Taksim Square. 

We strolled along the Independence Avenue, popped in to a confectionery shop to buy some baklava and watched the locals go about their life. Taksim Square, the location of the Monument of the Republic, marking 5th anniversary of the state's independence, is nothing that special, however the walk itself and soaking up the atmosphere of the modern Istanbul was really pleasant.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to take a picture of the Galata Tower by night (picture below).

As per dinner, we decided to try a small restaurant in the Old Town area, where we had flavoursome Turkish fruit tea and a traditional Lahmacun pizza and a side salad.

Day 3 - 24th January 2016

Our last day in this fascinating city. We packed our bags and left them in the locker at the train station (useful tip). We decided to find a local transportation ferry (instead of an overpriced touristy boat) that would take us along the Bosphorus Strait to Karije Muzesi (The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora), an ancient Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church preserved a a museum in the Edirnekapi neighbourhood of Istanbul. Unfortunately the church was closed for renovation, but we still managed a sneaky peak onto its famous frescoes (picture below).

Strolling down the Macer Kandesler Caddesi down to the Old Town, we popped into a Mado coffee shop for another sahlep, visited Suleyman Mosque (picture below), located on the Third Hill, the largest mosque in the city, in the vicinity of the university.

Final stop of our trip was a fish sandwich for lunch in our busy and bustling mini restaurant-boat (you can probably guess by now that sahlep and the famous sandwich must have been our favourite snacks in Istanbul) and off to the airport having picked up our bags.

Last views of the Bosphorus Strait and the unique cityscape. We spent our last Liras on a kebab/salad dinner and sahlep-like coffee at Starbucks, a bit of indulgence at the end. We arrived safely back home in the UK. What a great, full of so many different emotions weekend! Turkey is definitely a country to come back to...