Merhaba Turkey! (Istanbul) #Travelmadedifferent

Hi lovelies!
(ok wtf, I just realized my last post was 2 months ago)

It's really been a long hiatus but feels so good to be back writing again.
If you've seen my Instagram, you would have already known I was out of town for almost 3 weeks. Before that, I was so packed at work because due to the F1 Season,
Ever since I landed on Friday morning, the weekends has been hectic and intense with more WORK. Literally, slogged my ass off from 9am to 9pm.



Weirdly enough, I'm pleased that I'm back in town albeit I love to stay at foreign places and meet new friends. There's really no place that I feel better than home, snuggling in bed under my sheets and writing this. Call it homesick maybe. (Highly suspect is because of the food here)

5 weeks ago, I received an email from the TravelMadeDifferent team revealing that I have won their Bucket List Instagram contest = Full Expense paid trip to my bucket list destination.
                                   
As seen above, one item on my bucket list is to take a real hot air balloon ride and the idealistic location is, Cappadocia, Turkey (known to be one of the best places to do it).

The moment I read the email, I couldn't contain my happiness!!! All these 21 years of my life, I have NEVER won a lucky draw or whatsoever but to be able to win this trip back to Europe, it sounds insane. Very quickly, I had to draft my itinerary and decided to bring my Mum along. As winter was starting to approach slowly, the best time to travel was Mid-October which is awesome because its already technically 'low season' in touristic places but temperatures are still about 18-19 degrees.

Note: Winter is quite miserable for me unless you are going for the sake of snow activities like skiing, snowmobile, similar to my Norway trip.

As there were time constraints and personal commitments, both my mum and I could not travel for a long period of time so we settled on 8 days, 3 different cities namely Istanbul, Cappadocia (Nevsehir Airport) and Bodrum. The only mode of transport between these cities was by flight, each amounting to only about $150SGD (or less) one way per person.
Before making the decision, I did do a brief research about Turkey because it is entirely different from other European cities I've been to. How I wish I had more time to wander around more cities like Antalya and Ankara! Ultimately, my main goal was the hot air balloon ride.

The Turkish currency, Liras is not available at the money exchange here (to what I know of), so I had to change my cash for Euros and upon arriving at Turkey, change my Euros to Liras!
Btw, data sim card is ridiculously pricey over here compared to other European cities. For 4 gb of data with no free calls, it was about $42SGD.

1) Istanbul, Turkey

My apartment for 3 nights- $200SGD

Kamondo Apartments

My first intention was to splurge on an expensive hotel stay such as Intercontinental but I figured that it wasn't really practical since I will be out most of the time. It was a right decision because the apartment's owner was extremely warm and helpful in terms of giving us tips and information around the city itself. He actually gave us a little handmade table coaster after we left. I strongly recommend anyone visiting Istanbul to consider booking his apartment!

Sultan Ahmed Mosque


Famously known as 'The Blue Mosque', this place was our first stop. 
The mosque has a cascade of domes and six tapering minerats, it's not hard to locate it! 

Basically, the tram stop is called Sultanmet so most of the attractions are within walk-able distances from each other.

Women are required to cover up fully as a form of respect. Scarves are provided at the entrance FOC but I'm a little OCD so I don't know how many people have actually worn the same thing over their heads, I brought my own.

 Queuing up to enter the mosque
 
Till today, it is still a working mosque so I suggest to avoid this place during prayer timings.

Turkish architecture are renowned for their amazing tile work. This mosque is encrusted with thousands of blue Iznik tiles, thats where the name "The Blue Mosque'' came about. 

Funny how I actually saw pictures about this mosque on Instagram back awhile ago and soon enough, I was here to admire the iconic site itself! 

Before heading to the next attraction, we were strolling around the district to have lunch.



 

Be warned! Most of the restaurant staffs are quite pushy in terms of luring you in to dine at their place.
Prices are still affordable though its higher than other restaurants in Istanbul.


 The view from the rooftop restaurant.

The staff recommended to try out the 'Testi' Kebab which is one of Turkey's specialties.
(don't know how true it is)

It's a meat and vegetable dish mixed with tomato & onions slowly cooked in a sealed claypot then the pot is smashed open and served!

Delish!

 Topkapi  Palace

Anyone intending to visit the Topkapi Palace must be ready to spend about 1.5 hours or more to explore the entire palace. 

Each section of the ground consists of different exhibit rooms displaying ancient relics of the Ottoman Empire.




One of the terraces overlooking the Bosphorus.



Topkapi palace was the main residence for the Sultans for over 400 years.
It gave me the impression of the 'Forbidden City' of Istanbul.

Bosphorus Cruise

To conclude our day, we took the Bosphorus Cruise at 'Eminou' quay. This is one activity that people should not overlook because it rewards you with unforgettable views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus bridge. 

It's always good to arrive 15 minutes before the ferry departs, about 4pm. There are long and short tours for you to choose from, mine was only 1.5 hours.

The cruise was not so bad, I was kinda looking forward to dinner at Peninsula Restaurant.

Somehow this photo looks like one of the catalog pictures for the restaurant, but no, it was taken by me before all these reserved tables were filled up. 

 Stunning views from the restaurant .

Internet reviews were accurate, this place did not disappoint! 

Grand Bazaar & Spize Bazaar

The bazaar is one of the world's biggest and oldest covered market .

Not my favourite shopping place because I believe its a big tourist trap. Most of the goods and delights were all priced up a notch compared to other areas in Istanbul. Then again, every country has a common place where tourists usually flock to...

Like a labyrinth, you'll get lost easily in the grand bazaar but the store owners will be happy to help you with your way out!

 

Turkish lights were to die for!!!
Bought one of these huge lights as a table lamp and it was only at a mere $25?

Traditional Turkish delights.

Not much time was spent at both bazaars but you'll find almost anything here from gold jewellery, turkish carpets and glazed tiles.

AyaSofya (Hagia Sofia)

Started out as a church, converted into a mosque and now a musuem!
Tiny gold mosaic tiles covers the interiors, a pity there were renovation works going on.

Queue was exceptionally long but it was fast. I was having conversations with 2 Norwegian dudes behind me and before I knew it, I was at the entrance ticket counter.

 

The main hall swarmed with lots of tourists including the both of us.

Catholic influences from way back were still distinguished in the museum. 

For people who love history, this is one place you should not miss. 

You will get the idea of the grandeur of the museum inside-out.

Rated as one of the world's greatest cities, what really sets Istanbul apart from other European cities is its mixed culture, amazing architectures and the fact that it stands astride two continents.

Thank you Travelmadedifferent for making this trip possible! Do check their website out to view the extensive gallery of travel pictures.

Will blog about my next Turkey City really soon.

Signing off,

Amelia 

xx