Istanbul was amazing, a great experience which wouldn't have been possible without my local tour guide Faruk (friend who lives in Istanbul) he took me to all the main toursit spots but also off the beaten track to his local spots where I was able to sample some of the authentic taste and culture the city had to offer. From collosal Ancient mosques and Palaces to the traditional Turkish Bath experience - where you sit in a sauna, then have an all-over body exfoliation by a large Turkish woman followed by more sauna, a 38 degree jacuzzi and ending with a long all over oil body massage....suffice to say that by the end my skin was glowing!
These are some photos from my first few days in the city - the weather was fairly hideous at this time (colder than London!!) so we tried to spend time in the mosques and in the baths...not to mention eating all the traditional Turkish food I could find...from handmade gozleme', fresh calamari and grilled seasonal fish, baklava, breads, soups, cheeses, mezzes...you name it I probably tried it (as long as it didnt have flesh meat ofcourse!)
So these were all taken on the Europe side of Istanbul (Istanbul the city is divided by a channel so the easiest and prettiest way to get from the Asia side to the Europe side is by Ferry)Where they have all the main Palaces and Mosques - these are taken in the famous Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.
What was quite interesting was all the Byzantine art that still survived in these Mosques;as Byzantine Art is famous for it's Christian roots for depicting stories from the bible...whilst the Mosque is a Muslim Sanctuary....interesting and very beautiful not to mention HUGE!!
This is one one of the finer days looking out from the Mosque onto the Coast
As we were walking up towards the Baths we were distracted by a small procession of Traditionally dressed Turks playing an assortment of Instruments which Faruk explained to me was the tradition war song - one which would be played before they entered combat. I was actually in Istanbul on a Public holiday celebrating becoming a Republic so there were all sorts of things going on in town!
Istanbul is a city which doesn't seem to sleep, or if they do it isn't for very long! No matter where you are there is something open - whether its just a kebab hut, bar or even a florist!
The night life in Taksim which is in the Northern part of the Europe side is PUMPING!
We started the evening off here with a stroll down the crowded Corso where we popped in to an underground market selling top shop and ASOS samples woooo!!
After passing hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants; Faruk took me to a lovely wine bar which had been there since the 1940's and from here we went bar hopping to a few of his favourite spots before we ended up in a bar playing some sweet tunes!
Here we ordered a 'slightly' diluted BOTTLE of sex on the beach cocktail mix...yes, I was pretty smashed by the end! but had a pretty great time
<---Nargele!!! (grape flavour) and drinking beer late into the night.
So these were all taken on the Europe side of Istanbul (Istanbul the city is divided by a channel
What was quite interesting was all the Byzantine art that still survived in these Mosques;as Byzantine Art is famous for it's Christian roots for depicting stories from the bible...whilst the Mosque is a Muslim Sanctuary....interesting and very beautiful not to mention HUGE!!
This is one one of the finer days looking out from the Mosque onto the Coast
As we were walking up towards the Baths we were distracted by a small procession of Traditionally dressed Turks playing an assortment of Instruments which Faruk explained to me was the tradition war song - one which would be played before they entered combat. I was actually in Istanbul on a Public holiday celebrating becoming a Republic so there were all sorts of things going on in town!
Istanbul is a city which doesn't seem to sleep, or if they do it isn't for very long! No matter where you are there is something open - whether its just a kebab hut, bar or even a florist!
The night life in Taksim which is in the Northern part of the Europe side is PUMPING!
We started the evening off here with a stroll down the crowded Corso where we popped in to an underground market selling top shop and ASOS samples woooo!!
After passing hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants; Faruk took me to a lovely wine bar which had been there since the 1940's and from here we went bar hopping to a few of his favourite spots before we ended up in a bar playing some sweet tunes!
Here we ordered a 'slightly' diluted BOTTLE of sex on the beach cocktail mix...yes, I was pretty smashed by the end! but had a pretty great time
<---Nargele!!! (grape flavour) and drinking beer late into the night.
OMG! one of the most delicious things ever, we went to this seafood place twice, it is quite close to Faruk's place and its right inside the local fish markets - this particular local dish I'm eating is Midye Dolmasi which are basically mussels stuffed with a delicious spiced rice, steamed and served with a squirt of lemmon..mmmmm
Last but farrr far from least is the Bazaar Quarter and Spice Bazaar...where do I even begin? With over 4,000 stores in this maze of an under ground complex there lies the most dazzling array of wares I have ever seen!
Honestly when I walked in I just didnt know where to begin, it was so overwhelming that in my 1st 2 hours there I didnt buy anything because I wanted EVERYTHING so it was terribly hard narrowing it down as what I could bring home with me...
Hah! like that even entered my mind; where there is a will there is a way and I found a way to bring home a freekin carpet from Turkey along with pashminas, a good handful of jewellery, pillowcases, evil eye pendants, dried fruits, turkish delight, teas....honestly I wish I could have spent a few days in the Bazaar alone, it was magnificent!!
The Turks are great salespeople, I'll say that much - also don't accept tea when they offer it!! As soon as you have tea you're a gonner...I accepted tea on several occasions...
Honestly when I walked in I just didnt know where to begin, it was so overwhelming that in my 1st 2 hours there I didnt buy anything because I wanted EVERYTHING so it was terribly hard narrowing it down as what I could bring home with me...
Hah! like that even entered my mind; where there is a will there is a way and I found a way to bring home a freekin carpet from Turkey along with pashminas, a good handful of jewellery, pillowcases, evil eye pendants, dried fruits, turkish delight, teas....honestly I wish I could have spent a few days in the Bazaar alone, it was magnificent!!
The Turks are great salespeople, I'll say that much - also don't accept tea when they offer it!! As soon as you have tea you're a gonner...I accepted tea on several occasions...
HAH!
<---This was on my final night, we met up with some of Faruks friends from work and this was my final serenade as I departed in the wee hours of the morning..
