Saturday, 19 October 2013

Istanbul - the city of two continents



Clockwise from top left: The Blue Mosque; inside the Blue Mosque; contrast in the Hagia Sophia

The Grand Bazaar

Clockwise from top left: Inside the Topkapi Palace; Monique admiring a mosaic; Fishermen overlooking Istanbul

It was with a huge amount of excitement and anticipation that we headed to Turkey for a jam packed 10 day holiday. We were particularly pumped for a couple of reasons....firstly, Turkey promised to be a super fun travel location, and secondly we were going to be doing it with Andrew and Rachel (Daniel's brother and sister-in-law)...what could be more fun!?!?!

Our first stop was Istanbul - the only city in the world that spans two continents, Asia and Europe. The city itself had a particularly cosmopolitan flavour, mixing Muslim and Western culture, rich history with plenty to of modern convenience, and incredibly friendly people (more on that later!).

While we were only there for two and a half days, we managed to jam a huge amount in. A few highlights included...

Mosques and Palaces...
One of the first things that strikes you about Istanbul is the jaw-dropping Mosques and Palaces that feature so prominently on just about every street corner. Unlike Morocco, we were allowed to visit the famous Blue Mosque and Hagia Sopia…both extraordinary sights. The Hagia Sophia in particular was quite interesting, given that it was originally a Christian church and then became a Mosque when Constantinople (now Istanbul) fell to the Ottomans. It was quite fascinating to see Muslim symbols next to frescos of Jesus.    

The Grand Bazaar...
Where in Morocco we were quite unprepared for the feast of shopping that was awaiting us, we were much better prepared this time around by taking an empty cabin bag with us. Monique certainly did an amazing job filling it with high quality hand made glass mosaic lamps and ceiling lights, scarves, and hand painted ceramics…all at bargain basement prices.

Culturally, The Grand Bazaar was amazing experience. The shopkeepers were all really happy to have us looking at their goods without putting any pressure on to make a sale, loved having a chat and a laugh, and were even happy for us to take a photo or two. While they were happy to barter to an extent, the prices quoted were always fair and realistic. All this made for super fun shopping experience.  

No comments:

Post a Comment