Arriving in Istanbul is a blast to the senses: back streets teem with traders pushing handcarts, the smell of grilled meat greets you at every corner, and the call to prayer rings out from tall minarets five times a day. Istanbul is the only city in the world to span two continents and have played host to consecutive Christian and Islamic empires. Today, the city retains features of it all. We spent two weeks exploring Istanbul and could have easily stayed longer… not to mention venturing out to the coast and mountains of Turkey (the plan for our definite return trip). Turn your sound on to hear the video 🙂
Upon arriving to Turkey, the plan was to spend some time in Istanbul and then head west to the Aegean Sea. However, after coming down with an aggressive cold, staying put seemed to be the best option. My first few days were spent in bed with Jonathan navigating the city to find tea and ingredients for home-made soup. He’s a keeper – I know. Once I was well enough to contain my sniffles to one package of tissues, we hit the sites!
The skyline of Istanbul is incredible – bridges across the Bosphorus and Golden Horn, Mosque domes with their neighbouring spiked minarets, and hills of green behind the city.
We spent hours just walking the streets and the river front watching people, eating street food, drinking tea, and noticing new little pieces of tucked away art or history each time we passed.
![Fishing off Galata Bridge](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/fishing-off-galata-bridge.jpg?w=296&h=197)
![Pretty Street Near our 2nd Airbnb](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/pretty-street-near-our-2nd-airbnb.jpg?w=302&h=201)
We started our daily walk from our little apartment on world famous Istiklal Avenue. Istiklal runs through the heart of Istanbul and is the city’s most popular strolling, shopping, and snacking street. It is a pedestrian only caddesi (street) with a nostalgic tramway car that clanks its way from top to bottom. This is a street that is busy during the day, but comes alive at night with bars and music. Istiklal is home to many of the international consulates in Istanbul leading to the very topical juxtaposition we saw: the Russian Consulate (with multiple armed guards in front) right next to the Netherlands’s Consulate (where filled flower pots guarded the entrance). Today, Turkey is mixed up with quite a few political issues including being at the front line of the Syrian refugee crisis, extremist terrorist threats and attacks, and escalating tension with Russia – all the while desperately (without success) trying to gain acceptance into the EU. While we only felt the friendliness of the city and its people, we know the picture is much larger.
![The Trolley through the Upscale Part of Istanbul](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/the-trolley-through-the-upscale-part-of-istanbul.jpg?w=308&h=205)
![Tracy on Istiklal](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tracy-on-istiklal.jpg?w=311&h=207)
There isn’t a much better way to recover from a cold than spending some time in a Turkish Hamam (bath house). Jonathan and I took the recommendation from our airbnb host to a quieter less touristic hamam a short walk from our apartment. Upon arrival, we were immediately separated. I can’t speak much for Jonathan’s experience, except to say he seemed the most relaxed I had seen him all trip. As for me, I entered the woman’s side of the hamam and was shown to a changing room by a woman who quite possibly only knows the words “All off” in English. I took the towel and sandals provided and left my modesty behind as I followed her to the steaming room. She sat me down next to a marbel basin (kurna) of warm water and left me. I looked first at the domed ceiling with dots of light poking through and then around to the older ladies in the room. Quickly, I copied their actions of pouring warm water on me and periodically going to the outrageously hot sauna. When the attendant returned (now, sans shirt), she gestured me onto the giant marble slab in the middle of the room and away we went. I laid on my stomach while my WHOLE backside was aggressively scrubbed then splash! Warm water (and my first layer of skin) was everywhere. She flipped me over and repeated on my front. Then came bubbles… heaps and heaps of bubbles created from a wet cloth sack with soap that she swung around her head. I was completely covered. Next was a nice massage with the attendant doing as she liked with my arms and legs. Basins of water were once again dumped on me as I was moved from prone to sitting. Splash! One more basin to the face… just for good measure. She smiled and left me once again to take my time getting my wits about me before heading to the cooling room to drink some tea. Jonathan and I felt great and enjoyed taking it easy the rest of the day. 🙂 We couldn’t take pictures inside, but here is an idea of what we were dealing with!
Turkey has a history unlike anything I have heard of before. It was fascinating walking through buildings that once stood as Christian churches and were converted to Muslim mosques. These places were beautiful, in part, because you could literally see the layers of history within the walls. We spent a few days exploring the Sultanahmet neighborhood where the “sultans of history” live – Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace.
![Outside the Blue Mosque](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/outside-the-blue-mosque.jpg?w=282&h=188)
![Tracy and Jonathan Outside Hagia Sophia](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tracy-and-jonathan-outside-hagia-sophia.jpg?w=309&h=206)
![The Entrance to Topkapi Palace](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/the-entrance-to-topkapi-palace.jpg?w=284&h=189)
Hagia Sophia stands as one of the greatest buildings in human history. Built nearly 1500 years ago, Hagia Sophia was originally a Byzantine basilica for the Emperor Justinian I and held the title of “largest enclosed space in the world” for over 1000 years. When the Ottomans conquered the city, it was reborn adding four minarets as the predominant mosque for the empire. The inside of Hagia Sophia is fascinating where every wall is bathed in history. Sounds hokey… but I’m serious! A circular pattern on the floor marks the spot Byzantine emperors were crowned, the massive wood-door entrance is the Imperial Gate once reserved for Ottoman sultans and their families, and centuries old mosaics in incredible condition adorn the walls next to giant Arabic calligraphy medallions. It is a lot to take in, all the while feeling slightly insignificant within the immense domes. This is one of those places that is impossible to photograph or describe. My favorite view was at dusk looking across the fountains and seeing the domes and minarets slowly lose their natural lighting and begin brilliantly glowing with floodlights.
![Inside Hagia Sophia (2)](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/inside-hagia-sophia-2.jpg?w=306&h=204)
![Jesus Mary and John the Baptist](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/jesus-mary-and-john-the-baptist.jpg?w=294&h=196)
![Hagia Sophia at night](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hagia-sophia-at-night.jpg?w=320&h=213)
Across the square from Hagia Sophia is Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the thousands of hand-made blue ceramic tiles adorning the walls of its interior. The mosque is still functional and is closed for prayer five times a day. When we walked in, it was obvious no expense was spared on this project. More than 200 stained glass windows, a marble mihrab, and chandeliers everywhere impress even the ignorant.
![Tracy in the Blue Mosque](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tracy-in-the-blue-mosque.jpg?w=191&h=287)
![DCIM100GOPRO](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/inside-the-blue-mosque.jpg?w=353&h=265)
Our whirlwind of Istanbul history ended with Topkapi Palace, the royal residence for the Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years (1465-1846). We wandered the rooms full of artwork, china, and jewels before taking a snack break overlooking the water. We finished the tour in the Imperial Harem (translates as “a place forbidden”) where over 500 women lived including the mother of the Sultan and his numerous concubines (I can’t believe I am using that word when writing non-fiction). It was incredible to step back into such a lavish time for an afternoon.
![Jonathan in front of some tiling in Topkapi](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/jonathan-in-front-of-some-tiling-in-topkapi.jpg?w=290&h=193)
![IMG_1960](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_1960.jpg?w=301&h=200)
We had comfortably fallen into rhythm in Istanbul and spent our last day saying goodbyes to new travel friends and the sahlep and bakery owners who now knew our orders by heart. With one night left in Istanbul, we headed up to the top of the Galata Tower for a panoramic sunset overlooking the city that had wonderfully surprised us for two weeks. Istanbul really is a beautiful place and we are eager to return one day.
![The Confluence of the Bospourus and the Golden Horn](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/the-confluence-of-the-bospourus-and-the-golden-horn.jpg?w=311&h=207)
![IMG_1962](https://tracyandjonrtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_1962.jpg?w=207&h=311)