I've been wanting to visit Istanbul forever...not exactly sure where this desire came from, but it was at the top of my travel "must see" list and I was so excited when we were able to make it happen. Since I was unsure what to expect being in such a strange place I went ahead and booked all our arrangements through a travel agency Euphrates Tours (Cappadocia Tours). In hindsight I'm kind of regretting this decision...don't get me wrong...they did an awesome job...our hotel Garden House Hotel was amazing (mostly because the staff was so lovely), we had a nice van pick us up and take us to the hotel and then back to the airport, we had a private tour for two full days that took us to highlights all over the city, but as we've traveled quite a bit, we kinda like to go at our own pace and do things our way (especially when there is a two year old involved) and that was tough to do in this situation. So if I had to do it over, I would probably get some help from a travel agency, but plan to do all the exploring on our own...or maybe with the "help" of the hop-on/hop-off bus tours.
So I'm going to give you the highlights of our time there in the pictures/captions below...
They "upgraded" us to the honeymoon sweet so we could have a king size bed...
and it was quite interesting...kinda like a big crib...the only way in or out was through the stairs.
We went in search of the Blue Mosque, but found a playground instead :o)
I-C-E C-R-E-A-M is really awesome when you've been allergic to it all your life!
She can handle it in small amounts we've found...before she starts breaking out.
We didn't find the Blue Mosque that first night, but we did find the Grand Bazaar!
And it was so much bigger and nicer than I expected (this whole row is jewelry stores!)
Finally the next morning we were able to find the Blue Mosque...with the help of our tour guide.
It's quite stunning with it's 6 minarets...2nd highest number in the world
The low "candlelight" chandeliers throughout the Mosque were quite beautiful
It is really named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, but is called
Blue Mosque by tourists for all the lovely blue tiles on the inside.
Just as in Ephesus there are stray cats everywhere!! Autumn loved it!
Next we visited the underground cistern.
And then the famous Hagia Sophie.
This is the exact replica of the Basilica of St. John we saw in Epehsus...except this one is still intact.
It was huge on the inside. Again, I loved the low hanging chandeliers.
There were several beautiful mosaics.
Autumn giving it a "Thumbs Up"
Pretty!
Topkapi Palace...unfortunately you couldn't take pictures inside
The most impressive thing is the famous "Spoonmakers Diamond"...a whopping 86 carats!
Garden at the palace
After a long day of walking we grabbed some yummy chicken kabobs and Turkish "pita" pizzas. We were all tired from a long day so it was early to bed to get ready for another full day!
First up...the Spice Bazaar!
We bought some of the famous Apple Tea...
we sampled some the night before and it is delicious!!
The spice bazaar was cool...much smaller than the Grand Bazaar though!
This would be awesome to have close by if we lived here!
One quick story...I think one thing that suprised me more than anything else is how much the Turkish men LOVED Autumn...they were constantly scooping her up, showering her with kisses and gifts, and just oodling over her. She was pretty shy at first, but by the end she was eating it up! Here she is showing off one of the many, MANY pieces of candy they gave her in the Spice Bazaar.
After the Bazaar we were off on a Bosphorus Cruise...
this is the strait separating the European and Asian side of Istanbul.
The Fortress of Anatolia
View from the lookout over Istanbul...too bad it was so hazy
(Autumn was sleeping...don't worry we didn't forget her somewhere)
Beylerbeyi Palace...again no pictures inside :o(
Hi Lion :o)
That was the end of our organized tour...phew...that was a LOT!! That evening as we attempted to go get some dinner we discovered Jacob's bank card was gone. We weren't sure if he lost it or it was stolen...so we rushed back to the hotel and called to cancel it right away. Since it was the weekend we couldn't tell if anyone had withdrawn anything from his account, but luckily now it looks like it was likely only lost. Thank goodness...still gave us quite a scare though. Despite the scare, somehow I still managed to capture a few pics of the Mosque and Hagia Sophia in the evening.
Blue Mosque...it looks like a castle at night.
Hagia Sophia
The next day we stuck close to our hotel waiting for our ride to the airport...it seems like the last day no matter what time your flight is, it is spent waiting and anticipating the trip home. And apparently, by the looks of the pictures, all we did our last day in Istanbul was eat!
They were selling this corn on carts all over the city...I swore I was going to eat one before we left because they smelled so good. I took one bite and hated it....Autumn on the other hand, loved it!
Lunch!! We finally got the rotating meat sandwich!
More Ice Cream! Yummy :o)
Bye, bye Blue Mosque...
And finally after our two hour ride to the airport we were headed home! It was an exhausting trip, that definitely had it's up and downs. But as you can see...there is a lot to see and do in Istanbul...and as crazy as it was, it was a trip I will never forget and one I will never regret making.
Click here to view the full Istanbul album.
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