At Schipol Airport, we were stopped and told that we might not be able to enter Turkey with US passport, but we explained to them that the two countries had agreed on visa terms and that we had our visas. We obtained our Turkish visas a week after the Turkish and US stopped the political war they had and agreed to terms and allow US passport holders to visit Turkey and vise versa. So, you can imagine how tense it was for us heading to Turkey with US passports. We left Amsterdam on Turkish Airlines heading to Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (the Asian side). When left Turkey we flew from the European side, but more about this later. We were thrilled to fly to Istanbul, but we were not sure how we will be treated as US citizens entering Turkey after such political tension. The short answer is that we came to love Istanbul like no other city we visited on this trip, we saw Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Maiden Tower, Uskudar, Taksim Square, Beskitas, Chora Museum, Little Hagia Sofia, Grand Bazaar, Eminonu, Galata Tower and the Galata Bridge, Fatih, and many other places.
Our hostel in Istanbul was one of the best I had stayed in. We had our own room with three beds. The hostel was located between the Bosphorus strait (10 minutes away) and Sultan Ahmed Mosque (5 minutes away). We could see Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Asian side from the rooftop.
The next day we woke up well refreshed and ready to explore everywhere. We started by going to Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and the Hagia Sophia. It was surreal walking in the square of these great landmarks. The Blue Mosque was so big and grand, a well representative of Turkish culture and the great architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha. The Hagia Sophia was another story which I will talk about more later.
We noticed the heavy security around the touristic area. This was mainly due to recent threats and problems going on during these tough times. It did feel a bit weird walking past armed soldiers but I understand that it was for the sake of protecting tourists. I couldn't pass the chance of grabbing a picture with some of them (see the above image).
We did not go to the Hagia Sofia on the first day because it was super crowded and there was a huge line. We were 5 minutes away so we decided that we will go the next day early in the morning to avoid all the tourists that come on the buses.
From the Blue Mosque, we walked for about 30 minutes to Fatih Camii (Fatih Mosque). To get to to Fatih mosque and the main street which is called Fevzi Pasa Cd., we had to pass by Istanbul University which was grand and had a beautiful atmosphere. Fevzi Pasa Cd., this main street was astonishing. There were many Turkish food shops, clothe shops, sweets shops, mosques and traditional buildings rich with history, actual Turkish people (not just tourists), and many other interesting Turkish things to see. We had lunch in this main street of Fatih and we visited the Fatih mosque which was unbelievable, a real gem of Fatih district. I felt more peace in Fatih mosque than I did in the Blue Mosque. We also passed by a celebration, we were not sure what was celebrated, but it looked like a traditional music was being played. We also enjoyed many sweets including a good cup of Turkish Tea. We spent the rest of the day walking and enjoying the Turkish life. We walked back to our hostel, but before that, we had a delicious dinner.
Most places we actually visited many times but I will only speak once about them. We visited Fatih mosque a second time where we attended the Friday Prayer. I was astonished by the strong faith they had. Every mosque I had been to was full, whether in the US or Malaysia, or a European country. But I never seen it get full before the sermon starts. The mosque was so full, that it was hard to find a place to sit.
We woke up a bit early the next day, after breakfast, we went directly to Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia or as the Turks call it, Aya Sofia, used to be a very famous Christian Church. It was built in the 800s. Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller who traveled in the 1300s noted in his travel book A Gift to Those who Contemplates the Wonders of Cities and he Marvels of Traveling, the beauty of Hagia Sofia and did a good job describing its beauty. He also noted for a person to enter it, they had to bow to the Christian Cross, of course he was not a Christian so he did not bow and could not enter. Ibn Battuta was actually not allowed to enter the Christian Kingdom, but he pulled some strings and was protected. Later in the 1400s, after the Ottoman Empire took hold of Hagia Sofia, they converted it to a mosque. And in the early 1900s, the Hagia Sofia was turned to a museum so its beauty and history could be preserved...and to make some money out of those tourists (including myself) ;) thousands of people enter it everyday...Hagia Sofia brought Islam and Christianity together. Where else could you find such thing? See images below. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing around the Blue Mosque square and planning for tomorrow's big trip across the Bosphorus Strait and to Uskudar and the beautiful Maiden Tower.
The next day we woke up a bit early and after breakfast, we went through Eminönü without stopping. We went to Eminonu Pier which was so busy. Boats come from different parts of Turkey. We wanted to go to Uskudar, and the boat comes every 10 minutes which was very convenient. There is also the Marmaray train that goes under the Bosphorus Strait.
We actually did not have a plan on what to do in Uskudar, all we know was that we were crossing Europe and heading to Asia. From the European Turkey to the Asian Turkey. One place that I really wanted to see was the Maiden Tower. This tower has a history for the Turkish people and many sit near the waters and observe the sundown. The sun rises on the Asian side and sets on the European side, so to really enjoy the sunset, you have to be on the Asian side.
Uskudar was bustling with people. Totally different from the European side, no tourists whatsoever and full of local people. We walked around Uskudar observing how locals lived. It was surely the real representation of Turkey. As we passed a park, I could see people socializing, drinking tea, and kids playing around.
Just before sunset, we went to see the Maiden Tower. It was a really beautiful scene and you could enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with sweets while observing the sunset and socializing. You could also see the silhouette of the Blue Mosque. Turkish people know how to enjoy their time.
We spent a find day in Uskudar and it was time for us to cross back to the European side. We took the Marmaray this time, just because it was faster. One thing to note about Uskudar is that it did not have many policemen as the tourist area which makes sense.
The next day we visited Eminonu for the first time, we passed by it before but we did not explore it. Eminonu was the area we visited the most because of the convenient restaurants and night life. But I will lump everything up and speak about it once in this post.
Eminonu was where the tourists usually go for anything, whether souvenirs or food or just a night walk. It has the Egyptian bazaar which has many spices and sweets. The grand bazaar is also not far away, so we visited that as well. The grand bazaar had everything, I remember it from the Taken movie and James Bond movie. There were many shops that sell gold. The bazaar had security checkpoints and guards to keep it secure.
We bought a bunch of souvenirs from Eminonu and things like tea cups and coffee pots for special for just Turkish coffee.
From Eminonu we were able to go to the Galata bridge and have Hamsi (Anchovies) under the bridge. There are many restaurants that sell fish and on the Galata bridge, there are many fisher men who catch the fish. We also enjoyed a find cup of Turkish tea on the house.
At another day, we visited Eminonu and we decided to cross the Galata bridge and visit the famous Taksim square. It was not really interesting for me, because it was just full of shops and what you expect from the city center with shopping areas, business buildings etc...but we did get to go on top of the Galata Tower which existed since the time of the Roman Empire. We also visited a Durvish Museum.
Beskitas was another city we visited. I honestly did not like it, because it felt like a frat house for college students, maybe because I only visited the center of the city...but the Beskitas soccer team is famous in Europe and we passed by their stadium. We also visited the Dolmabahce Palace and mosque. We actually took a bus after we stopped at the last tram station, but we realized the walk was about 20 minutes so when we went back, we just walked. In Beskitas, we visited a street market and we enjoyed the local fruits. We also visited Karakoy where we could see cool graffiti in the back alleys and eat at fine restaurants.
By this point, we have seen so much and eating so much, Istanbul was as compatible as any top European destination. In fact, it was even better. At another point in time, we visited Little Hagia Sofia (Kucuk Ayasofya). Little Hagia Sofia as the name suggests was like Hagia Sofia, but a smaller version. It was not turned to a museum but was kept as a mosque, however everyone was still welcome to visit.
Another top destination for everyone to visit is the Topkapi Palace which is a museum now. The palace is looking at the Bosphorus Strait, in a peaceful hill. There are many Islamic artifacts. We also visited the Museum of Turkish and Islamic arts. The pictures below are taken at both museums.
Another Museum we visited is the Archeological Museum. One of the best finds is the statue of Alexander. There were statues that dated to the year 2000BC and older which was baffling to get so close to and inspect them. Some of the inscriptions were very interesting. I never seen such writings before. Below are just a few of the pictures taken at the museum.
Another museum we visited is the Chora Museum which was basically a christian church during the Byzantine empire located on the western side of Fatih. It was great to visit the west side of Fatih district, because it had a totally different atmosphere. It was much quiet and somewhat similar to Uskudar, meaning there were zero tourists, just Turkish families going about their lives. I actually loved the beautiful houses in that part of town. See images below.
We did a lot of exploration in Fatih and Eminonu. One of the mosques that is located on a hill is the Suliymanye Mosque which is a 16th century mosque. The view from the top of the hill was beautiful.
The Turkish food was fantastic, it was well done and the blend of spices were perfect. The Mediterranean styled dishes were very healthy - well most of them. But I don't know if any culture could rival the Turks when it comes to sweets. There were many restaurants, but we actually favorite 3 restaurants and we just ate their most of the time. One of the restaurants was a family owned restaurant ran by the husband and wife. I would guess they were in their 40s and they had the best amount of food for your money. We came to find out about this restaurant on Google Rating. Many people like this restaurant and we were lucky that it was about 10 minute walk from our hostel, and it was a block away from Little Hagia Sofia.
We enjoyed the last few days walking around and contemplating on the beautiful diversity of this world. Different people with different background, color and culture.
When I travel I rarely feel sad leaving cities that I explore, but I felt sad when I left Istanbul. I say this many times: having the ability to travel and traveling is one of the greatest blessings a person can have because it connects you with different cultures and ways of life, and grants you knowledge of the world we live in.
Rain started to fall as we headed to Ataturk Airport, it was like Istanbul was crying for our leave, just like the sadness in our hearts that we felt as we rode on the tram and then on the train to Ataturk Airport. We were glad we chose to come to Istanbul even with all the warnings and problems that people propagate on the media.
Next Stop: Paris
We landed in Istanbul, it was what I call "romance". The feeling you get when traveling to a place you dream about for so long.
At the police check in the airport, we submitted our US passports just like every international person, they asked us for our visas and we showed them using our phones. They then stamped our passports for a 3 month stay. The policeman literally threw my passport rather than handing it to me and said something to another policeman in Turkish...clearly they were not impressed with a US citizen entering their country, but nevertheless we were not intimidated and our goal was Istanbul not the political issues. In the end, Turkish people turned out to be most hospitable.
It was evening when we exited the airport. The next step was to find the bus that was going to the European side (Taksim Square). It was not hard to find, thanks to Google and asking people at the airport. The bus took around 45 minutes. We got out in Taksim and taxis drivers came out of nowhere asking us where we want to go and when we asked for the price, it was so ridiculous that we just laughed. Clearly they did not know we were experienced travelers. We took the Marmaray train (there is also Tram). We got off at Vezneciler station and we walked toward our hostel which is past the grand bazaar, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and Hagia Sophia.
After 20 minutes of walking from the station, we found our hostel (we should have taking the tram because it would have been only a 6 minute walk). It was around 10pm when we finally put our backpacks to rest. We went out to get some food and we hit the beds.
Our hostel in Istanbul was one of the best I had stayed in. We had our own room with three beds. The hostel was located between the Bosphorus strait (10 minutes away) and Sultan Ahmed Mosque (5 minutes away). We could see Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Asian side from the rooftop.
The next day we woke up well refreshed and ready to explore everywhere. We started by going to Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and the Hagia Sophia. It was surreal walking in the square of these great landmarks. The Blue Mosque was so big and grand, a well representative of Turkish culture and the great architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha. The Hagia Sophia was another story which I will talk about more later.
We noticed the heavy security around the touristic area. This was mainly due to recent threats and problems going on during these tough times. It did feel a bit weird walking past armed soldiers but I understand that it was for the sake of protecting tourists. I couldn't pass the chance of grabbing a picture with some of them (see the above image).
We did not go to the Hagia Sofia on the first day because it was super crowded and there was a huge line. We were 5 minutes away so we decided that we will go the next day early in the morning to avoid all the tourists that come on the buses.
From the Blue Mosque, we walked for about 30 minutes to Fatih Camii (Fatih Mosque). To get to to Fatih mosque and the main street which is called Fevzi Pasa Cd., we had to pass by Istanbul University which was grand and had a beautiful atmosphere. Fevzi Pasa Cd., this main street was astonishing. There were many Turkish food shops, clothe shops, sweets shops, mosques and traditional buildings rich with history, actual Turkish people (not just tourists), and many other interesting Turkish things to see. We had lunch in this main street of Fatih and we visited the Fatih mosque which was unbelievable, a real gem of Fatih district. I felt more peace in Fatih mosque than I did in the Blue Mosque. We also passed by a celebration, we were not sure what was celebrated, but it looked like a traditional music was being played. We also enjoyed many sweets including a good cup of Turkish Tea. We spent the rest of the day walking and enjoying the Turkish life. We walked back to our hostel, but before that, we had a delicious dinner.
Most places we actually visited many times but I will only speak once about them. We visited Fatih mosque a second time where we attended the Friday Prayer. I was astonished by the strong faith they had. Every mosque I had been to was full, whether in the US or Malaysia, or a European country. But I never seen it get full before the sermon starts. The mosque was so full, that it was hard to find a place to sit.
We woke up a bit early the next day, after breakfast, we went directly to Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia or as the Turks call it, Aya Sofia, used to be a very famous Christian Church. It was built in the 800s. Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller who traveled in the 1300s noted in his travel book A Gift to Those who Contemplates the Wonders of Cities and he Marvels of Traveling, the beauty of Hagia Sofia and did a good job describing its beauty. He also noted for a person to enter it, they had to bow to the Christian Cross, of course he was not a Christian so he did not bow and could not enter. Ibn Battuta was actually not allowed to enter the Christian Kingdom, but he pulled some strings and was protected. Later in the 1400s, after the Ottoman Empire took hold of Hagia Sofia, they converted it to a mosque. And in the early 1900s, the Hagia Sofia was turned to a museum so its beauty and history could be preserved...and to make some money out of those tourists (including myself) ;) thousands of people enter it everyday...Hagia Sofia brought Islam and Christianity together. Where else could you find such thing? See images below. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing around the Blue Mosque square and planning for tomorrow's big trip across the Bosphorus Strait and to Uskudar and the beautiful Maiden Tower.
The next day we woke up a bit early and after breakfast, we went through Eminönü without stopping. We went to Eminonu Pier which was so busy. Boats come from different parts of Turkey. We wanted to go to Uskudar, and the boat comes every 10 minutes which was very convenient. There is also the Marmaray train that goes under the Bosphorus Strait.
We actually did not have a plan on what to do in Uskudar, all we know was that we were crossing Europe and heading to Asia. From the European Turkey to the Asian Turkey. One place that I really wanted to see was the Maiden Tower. This tower has a history for the Turkish people and many sit near the waters and observe the sundown. The sun rises on the Asian side and sets on the European side, so to really enjoy the sunset, you have to be on the Asian side.
Uskudar was bustling with people. Totally different from the European side, no tourists whatsoever and full of local people. We walked around Uskudar observing how locals lived. It was surely the real representation of Turkey. As we passed a park, I could see people socializing, drinking tea, and kids playing around.
Just before sunset, we went to see the Maiden Tower. It was a really beautiful scene and you could enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with sweets while observing the sunset and socializing. You could also see the silhouette of the Blue Mosque. Turkish people know how to enjoy their time.
We spent a find day in Uskudar and it was time for us to cross back to the European side. We took the Marmaray this time, just because it was faster. One thing to note about Uskudar is that it did not have many policemen as the tourist area which makes sense.
The next day we visited Eminonu for the first time, we passed by it before but we did not explore it. Eminonu was the area we visited the most because of the convenient restaurants and night life. But I will lump everything up and speak about it once in this post.
Eminonu was where the tourists usually go for anything, whether souvenirs or food or just a night walk. It has the Egyptian bazaar which has many spices and sweets. The grand bazaar is also not far away, so we visited that as well. The grand bazaar had everything, I remember it from the Taken movie and James Bond movie. There were many shops that sell gold. The bazaar had security checkpoints and guards to keep it secure.
We bought a bunch of souvenirs from Eminonu and things like tea cups and coffee pots for special for just Turkish coffee.
From Eminonu we were able to go to the Galata bridge and have Hamsi (Anchovies) under the bridge. There are many restaurants that sell fish and on the Galata bridge, there are many fisher men who catch the fish. We also enjoyed a find cup of Turkish tea on the house.
At another day, we visited Eminonu and we decided to cross the Galata bridge and visit the famous Taksim square. It was not really interesting for me, because it was just full of shops and what you expect from the city center with shopping areas, business buildings etc...but we did get to go on top of the Galata Tower which existed since the time of the Roman Empire. We also visited a Durvish Museum.
Beskitas was another city we visited. I honestly did not like it, because it felt like a frat house for college students, maybe because I only visited the center of the city...but the Beskitas soccer team is famous in Europe and we passed by their stadium. We also visited the Dolmabahce Palace and mosque. We actually took a bus after we stopped at the last tram station, but we realized the walk was about 20 minutes so when we went back, we just walked. In Beskitas, we visited a street market and we enjoyed the local fruits. We also visited Karakoy where we could see cool graffiti in the back alleys and eat at fine restaurants.
By this point, we have seen so much and eating so much, Istanbul was as compatible as any top European destination. In fact, it was even better. At another point in time, we visited Little Hagia Sofia (Kucuk Ayasofya). Little Hagia Sofia as the name suggests was like Hagia Sofia, but a smaller version. It was not turned to a museum but was kept as a mosque, however everyone was still welcome to visit.
Another top destination for everyone to visit is the Topkapi Palace which is a museum now. The palace is looking at the Bosphorus Strait, in a peaceful hill. There are many Islamic artifacts. We also visited the Museum of Turkish and Islamic arts. The pictures below are taken at both museums.
Another Museum we visited is the Archeological Museum. One of the best finds is the statue of Alexander. There were statues that dated to the year 2000BC and older which was baffling to get so close to and inspect them. Some of the inscriptions were very interesting. I never seen such writings before. Below are just a few of the pictures taken at the museum.
Another museum we visited is the Chora Museum which was basically a christian church during the Byzantine empire located on the western side of Fatih. It was great to visit the west side of Fatih district, because it had a totally different atmosphere. It was much quiet and somewhat similar to Uskudar, meaning there were zero tourists, just Turkish families going about their lives. I actually loved the beautiful houses in that part of town. See images below.
We did a lot of exploration in Fatih and Eminonu. One of the mosques that is located on a hill is the Suliymanye Mosque which is a 16th century mosque. The view from the top of the hill was beautiful.
The Turkish food was fantastic, it was well done and the blend of spices were perfect. The Mediterranean styled dishes were very healthy - well most of them. But I don't know if any culture could rival the Turks when it comes to sweets. There were many restaurants, but we actually favorite 3 restaurants and we just ate their most of the time. One of the restaurants was a family owned restaurant ran by the husband and wife. I would guess they were in their 40s and they had the best amount of food for your money. We came to find out about this restaurant on Google Rating. Many people like this restaurant and we were lucky that it was about 10 minute walk from our hostel, and it was a block away from Little Hagia Sofia.
We enjoyed the last few days walking around and contemplating on the beautiful diversity of this world. Different people with different background, color and culture.
When I travel I rarely feel sad leaving cities that I explore, but I felt sad when I left Istanbul. I say this many times: having the ability to travel and traveling is one of the greatest blessings a person can have because it connects you with different cultures and ways of life, and grants you knowledge of the world we live in.
Rain started to fall as we headed to Ataturk Airport, it was like Istanbul was crying for our leave, just like the sadness in our hearts that we felt as we rode on the tram and then on the train to Ataturk Airport. We were glad we chose to come to Istanbul even with all the warnings and problems that people propagate on the media.
Next Stop: Paris
