Istanbul ...not constantinople... la la laaa

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Turkish delight...yummmm!

I have been wanting to go to Turkey for years...and finally it was time to visit Istanbul.

Having flown across the world almost half way back to Australia...I arrived late Friday night in Istanbul, and on leaving the airport, my travel buddy and I were forced to figure out the train/tram system straight away. 12pm on a tram in the middle of Istanbul with my luggage was a precarious situation to be in...but we managed to find the little family run hotel that we were to stay in, fairly easily.

It was a rather cute hotel actually...more like a large house. A young Turkish couple had just built their dream 'hotel' (3 levels and about 6 bedrooms in total) and so we were one of the first guests that they had. Only 1 of their family members spoke English which was nice as it made me feel as though I was really mixing with the locals.

The first thing that I wanted to do in Istanbul was to eat Turkish delight...and lots of it! In fact, I spent the entire time I was there, walking around sightseeing with a bag of Turkish delight in one hand and the camera in the other whilst humming that well known swing-song tune of Istanbul not Constantinople...(similar tune to 'puttin' on the Ritz')...

I explored a few tourist attractions such as the amazingly beautiful 'Blue Mosque', 'Hagia Sophia' and the bustling 'Grand Bazaar', as well as some not so touristy places.

The Blue Mosque is the largest attraction in Istanbul and was built around 1609...so it’s very old. We were constantly reminded of the culture and religion of this city by the regular prayer call that boomed out across the city. Even during the night and at 5am!! We could hear the sounds from the mosque. Until recently the muezzin or prayer-caller had to climb a narrow spiral staircase to the top of one of the pencil-shaped minarets that surround the mosque, five times a day to announce the call to prayer. Today a public address system is used, and the call can be heard across the old part of the city, echoed by other mosques in the vicinity. Large crowds of both Turks and tourists gather at sunset in the park facing the mosque to hear the call to evening prayers, as the sun sets and the mosque is brilliantly illuminated by colored floodlights. The crowd of worshippers must wash their feet outside the mosques before entering. It is a rather amazing thing to witness and tourists are welcome, but must enter the mosque via other entrances.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 6,000 shops, and has between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily....so easy to get lost in! It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. The first section of the Bazaar was constructed 1455- and 1461...so again...amazingly old!

The weather was rather warm and so for dinner we feasted at an outdoor restaurant under the stars. Meats and salads and Turkish tea were so delish...and the musicians played traditional music while we feasted and others got up to dance and cheer. It was a night of food, fun, dancing and festivities...and this happens most nights!

After dinner many of the locals relax with friends and smoke shisha or water pipes while laid out on cushions outdoors in the heat.

Before leaving Istanbul, I did manage to catch a ferry from the European side of Turkey, across to the Asian side. Because of course, Istanbul is actually split between the two. The 2 'continents' are connected by the Bosphorus Bridge, and ferries run between the two sections of the city like taxi's.

I really enjoyed my time in Turkey and hope to venture back there to explore other cities and perhaps the ANZAC battle areas...and I did manage to smuggle 2 kilos of Turkish delight back to London...

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