Tom`s travels: Istanbul (01-02/08/2023)

On our flight back from Central Asia, we stopped for just under 24 hours in Istanbul. Having landed in the new and humongous Istanbul International Airport we got in the metro and reached the city center. Once there we first decided to have lunch as we were famished and chose a place called Vegan Dükkan Lokanta where Ania was finally able to eat some proper food, a curry with tofu, while I had an incredible dish of Turkish manti, which is a smaller than the Asian, type and have a tasty tomato sauce and white cream on top. This vegan version I had was incredible and reminded me of the same recipe my Turkish roommate used to make when we were studying in Venice. After lunch, we got on the tram and reached our accommodation in the heart of the Golden Horn, the Ancient Town Hotel. After leaving our stuff and a quick shower we headed out to explore a bit of the town. Having been there before I took Ania to some of the major sites. We started out with the Sultanahmet Square, once the Hippodrome of Constantinople, with still the ancient Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius at its center. We decided to visit the mosques later and so moved to the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m2. We bought some rings for my mother there and some spices for us and Ania's family. We then headed back from where we came and attempted to enter Hagia Sophia, built in 537 AD over a previous 4th-century church. With the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was later transformed into a mosque, and four minarets were added at its corners. The complex remained a mosque until 1931 when, thanks to Ataturk, it was re-opened as a museum in 1935. However, due to new political insistence, it was once again turned into a mosque in 2020. Having visited it back in 2012 when it still was a museum it was strange to enter the building with it now being a mosque, with women in headscarves, the pavement covered by a carpet, and the mihrab well lit up. It was still a masterpiece to admire with the Byzantine mosaics still glowing in their golden beauty and the amazing and huge cupola and niches of the central hall. Once back outside a short walk brought us to the next church, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 and features a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the prayer hall. Its large courtyard and six minarets are also noteworthy and a clear sight from far away as well. After its visit, we traversed the city center and reached the waterfront at Eminönü. Here we took one of the many boats that flow up the Bosphorus and serve as public transport. We took it all the way north, enjoying the city's skyline and the wonderful hustle and bustle of the Bosphorus Strait. Unfortunately, we only noticed later on that it was the last ride and there was no boat going back. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the ride, appreciating the sight as the day turned into night and the light of this humongous metropolis turned bright. We reached all the way north to Istinye and from there had to then get a long bus ride back to the city center. Having reached the Golden Horn, we walked to our accommodation ready for sleep.

The morning after we had a wonderful early breakfast on the terrace of the accommodation, enjoying the splendid view over the rooftops and sea. Then we got our stuff and walked back to the waterfront in Eminönü where we then got another boat this time with a short ride to just cross the strait. As we went we admired the beautiful skyline of the city, with the Galata Tower behind us and the Golden Horn with Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace to our side. Having reached the Asian side in Kadıköy we then got the bus that eventually took us to the Sabiha Gökçen Airport from where we then took a flight back home.