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Published: December 24th 2011
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Istanbul, Turkey (October 10, 2011)
After flying for 3 hrs and 45 mins on board Turkish Airlines, we arrived at Ataturk International Airport at around 8 in the morning. The flight went smoothly although when we were nearing Istanbul we experienced a bit of turbulence due to thick cloud formations. According to the weather forecast, there will be frequent rain around Istanbul and that was just down right. The weather when I arrived was overcast though I was still hoping for the mighty sun to appear and allow me to enjoy my days in Turkey. Felt so excited that I could not wait to get off the plane.
Welcome to Istanbul! First stop, to the toilet. :P After relieving myself, off I went to the immigration for passport checking. Luckily, I was so glad that there were no queues during that time so I passed through the immigration effortlessly. From the Airport I have to get to Sultahnamet where my travel buddy was waiting to meet me. He arrived in Istanbul a day ahead before me. What I liked about their Airport is the accessibility to the heart of the city via metro train that runs right outside the
airport towards several significant places around the city of Istanbul and it is cheaper and quicker than taking the bus. It can only be a problem when you take the train during rush hours with your entire luggage as it will be packed with passengers although for the light travelers it's going to be a different case. From Havalamani station (Airport) I got off the train in Zeytinburo Station and transferred to another train which would take me to Sultanahmet station. You will need 2 tokens (4TL) if you will take the train and it takes around 40-45 minutes ride from the Airport to Sultanahmet. Sultanahmet is the rendezvous of all tourists from across the world. The streets are bustling with restaurants, shops, hotels and what not all for tourists’ consumption.
When I got off the train, I went straight to the park just right outside the station and waited for my friend. From the point where I was standing I had a good view of the grand Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. These two magnificent and historical Ottoman and Byzantine architectures are real gems of Turkey. After a while, my friend arrived and off we went back to
his hostel as I needed to freshen up and had to leave my things first. The owner was very kind to allow me to use their bathroom though I have not booked in the hostel. After I have done fixing myself, off we went to check the sites around. First stop was the Blue mosque. This mosque is massive and artfully designed to surpass the beauty of its adjacent Hagia Sophia. One unique feature of the Blue mosque is the presence of six towering minarets which is very unusual as most mosques have four or two minarets. Everyone is welcome to get inside but is closed during prayer time. Then we went to check Hagia Sophia but unfortunately to our lack of knowledge we didn't know it is closed every Monday for some reasons we didn't know. So, we just took pictures of its exterior for there was nothing else that we could do. After that we felt our stomach was already crying for food and needed to fill ourselves so we decided to look around and find a place to eat. There are plenty of good restaurants around that you can choose from. We decided to go for Pudding
shop lale restaurant which was not a bad choice. After a good meal, we still got enough time to visit other sites before we left for Izmir. Went to see Basilica Cistern which was very impressive you don’t want to miss it when you are in Sultahnamet. It is actually located just beneath the busy streets of Sultanahmet. This ancient structure was built during the 6
th century. Inside it you can see more than 300 huge marble pillars supporting the ceiling and are illuminated with lights. You can also hear weird music being played which adds chilling effect to the enigmatic atmosphere inside. Also you can find here the two faces of Medusa which were mysteriously positioned in two different directions. After seeing much of the cistern, we decided to proceed to Topkapi palace which is not far from the Basilica cistern. Just a short walk down the street to the left form outside the entrance of the Basilica Cistern. The palace was the official residence of the Ottoman sultans, and now it consists of museums, a garden and a mosque.
After having had enough of walking, sightseeing and not to mention the rain and cold weather we called
it a day and headed out to Izmir via Onur Air. Seriously, a day in Istanbul isn't enough to get the feel of the city and truly understand its way of living. But even for the short time that i have been there, i really appreciate its people who never lost its hospitality despite the fast changing environment. I really had a wonderful day in Istanbul and will definitely come back for more.
Next stop, ruins of Ephesus in Selcuk.
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