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| Hagia Sofia |
Epilogue
Leap of Faith Travel
Review
What
a brilliant week spent very well in the breathtaking world of Istanbul. A place where extraordinary places
are found around every corner, continents are crossed in a day and home to a
diverse millennia of old monuments and buildings. It’s a fantastic destination
where drinking, eating and dancing are priorities.
The
old city in which I stayed in was a lot more compact than the likes of Rome. All the top sights
were located in one place and very easy to find. This brilliant place offers a
time-capsule of Byzantine and Ottoman history with culture unmatched in the
world. It also has an impressive array of sights with shops, hotels and
restaurants which are all within walking distance.
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| Grand Bazaar |
The
top sights I had visited on my trip to Istanbul
were:
1. Hagia Sofia (Free with
museum mass)
2. Topkapi Palace (Free
with museum pass)
3. Blue Mosque (Free to
enter)
4. Grand Bazaar (Free to
enter)
5. Istanbul Archaeology
Museum (Free with museum pass)
6. Süleymaniye Mosque (Free
to enter)
7. Princes Mosque (Free to
enter)
8. Fatih Mosque (Free to
enter)
9. Basilica Cistern 9 (20
Turkish Liras to enter)
10. Spice Bazaar (Free to
enter)
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| Galata Tower |
The
mosques were incredible to be amongst and to hear the sounds of the muezzins
singing the call to prayer across the city was astonishing. It was definitely a
culture shock especially walking inside the mosques. Each mosque had its own
designs all incredible to gaze upon and feel at peace.
There
were some rules and etiquette for visitors entering mosques such as:
1. Remove your shoes
before walking on the mosque’s carpet
2. Women should always
cover their head and shoulders with a shawl or scarf
3. Both men and women
should dress modestly
4. Speak quietly and don’t
use flash on cameras if people are praying
5. Avoid visiting mosques
at prayer times within 30 minutes of when the call to prayer sounds from the
minarets
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| Blue Mosque |
In
Istanbul, all
roads lead to the Sultanahmet square bookended by the grand edifices of Hagia
Sofia and Blue mosque. This is a fantastic place to start your exploration of
the city.
As
for accommodation there are plenty of cheap hotels and apartments to use
throughout the city. I chose a quiet apartment block named ‘Seven Hotel
Apartments’. It was a room only basis but it was all I needed as I would spend
a lot of my days out in the marvellous city. It had everything you could need
though such as TV, shower, kitchen area, double bed, terrace (only on top
floor) and fridge. It was also located within the central area which was great
but the only trouble is that it is at the bottom of the hill in the old city so
it would be advised to think of this should you choose this accommodation.
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| My Room |
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| Shower |
The
flights were booked with ‘Air France’
from Newcastle to Istanbul
via Paris. It
was a long trip to take and there are alternate routes you could use but this
was the option I took. I also prepaid for airport transfer in which was great
to avoid any problems and stress at the end of your long journey.
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| Galata Bridge |
A
visa is required to enter the country too which was also quite cheap. You can
pre pay for a visa or pay at the airport when you arrive.
Overall
the return flights, accommodation for 7 nights, airport transfer and visa cost
me £550.
Like
my previous travels I only used my own two legs to move about in the city. As
said above everything is within walking distance except the famous Bosphorous Bridge and Ortaköy mosque which are a
good 4 – 5 miles away. I walked to this destination enjoying the views along
the way in great detail. However should you wish to get around quicker, then
there are an abundance of transport for you to use such as trams, buses, taxis
and ferries.
Also
if you read my diaries you would have noticed I used an attraction pass to
enter the top museums in Istanbul.
This was a great thing to have in your bag as this allowed free entry into
museums and also fast track entry avoiding the heavy queues. I paid 85 Turkish
Liras for a 72 hour museum pass which gave me access to:
1. Hagia Sofia
2. Topkapi Palace
3. Istanbul Archaeology
Museum
There
are many more places you can use your pass for and below I will share a link to
the museum pass website.
As
for the food and drink it was outstanding as I enjoyed everything that was put
down to me. There were so many options to try such as delicious kebabs, fish
dishes and spicy red meat dishes too.
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| Turkish Cuisine |
Also
spread across the city were small red and white stalls laden with artfully
arranged snacks. Look out for the snack named ‘simits’ as they are very
delicious especially with chocolate spread on them.
My
favourite of all were the Turkish tea and Baklava dessert which you have to
try. You should also try a water pipe like I did that has a variety of
different flavours to enjoy. Many restaurants have this on the menus so look
out for them as you stroll through the city.
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| Turkish Tea |
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| Baklava |
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| Water pipe |
This
was my first time in Turkey
and what a cultural place it was indeed. It was magnificent to see so many
people in one place with a variety of backgrounds and cultures enjoying the same
place and I was there representing Britain. If you are full of
exploration and discovering cultures, unique architecture, fantastic food and
ancient history spanned over thousands of years then go to Istanbul as it has
so much to offer making a trip there worth it.
‘Live life to the
fullest
It’s the best way
Live every moment
intensely
Because life is too
short
And the moment comes
when we are going to die
And we’d have wished to
do so many things we didn’t
That is why we have to
enjoy every moment
One must enjoy life
Try not to acquire so
many things
But instead have
experiences
Accomplish everything
you want to do
No matter the effort it
deserves
Life is too short and
one must relish it’
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| Author: Shaun Davison |
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