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A weekend in Istanbul

Dear friends,

Recently my cousin Amit and I were in Istanbul for three days.  Long back during school days, we were taught about Constantinople (now Istanbul), a unique city located partly in Asia and Europe, a strategic geographic location and its importance in trade between Europe and Asia.

KLM’s night flight of three hours from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam to Ataturk airport, landed me in Istanbul at 1:30 AM. Ataturk is quite similar to our old Mumbai airport. Hotel Boutique saint Sophia is @ 20 kms from airport and located at Sultanahmet, very close to most tourist attractions.

Dome of Hagia Sophia 
Day 1: On the first day we visited Hagia Sophia museum. Built in year 537 by Greeks, it remained a church till 1453, and then converted in to a Mosque till 1935, and currently a museum. It is famous for its massive Dome and paintings.

Painting on the Dome
The Church  Bell

Next, we went to Basilica Cistern. It is an ancient underground water storage facility, famous for its carved pillars and head of Medusa. It was used as a water reservoir to supply water to near by areas.

Head of Medusa at the foot of the Piler
Another Head of Medusa
Arched Ceiling and Pilers
Post lunch we visited the Sultan Ahmad Mosque commonly known as Blue mosque one of the largest mosque in Istanbul. The interior is beautifully decorated with blue tiles, stained glass windows, paintings and carpets all over the floor.
Colourful Windows
Main Dome
Walls decorated with Blue tiles
A tram ride from Sultanahmet took us to the Grand bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops. In the evening, return ferry from Eminonu to Uskudar in Bosphorus area gave a refreshing view of the city. The day ended with a stroll at “Istiklal Street” a shopper delight, followed by dinner and back to Hotel by Taxi.

Day 2: After breakfast we visited Topkapi Palace a world heritage site.  Built by Sultan Mehmad II in 1439, it’s a huge complex of very old buildings, tastefully decorated. The walls are decorated with decorative tiles, the ceiling painted in decorative design, the windows made of stained glass work. The entire complex is well maintained. Large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts, murals, and Ottoman treasures and jewelry are on display. The collection of clocks and watches is unique. A Throne and few precious Items from India are also on display.
Topkapi Palace Entrence
Natural Daylight from the top

Fountains inside Sultans private chamber


 After a short stroll around Hippodrome area and shopping of souvenirs in the nearby market we went for lunch. 

The German Fountain

Column at Hippodrome

 After lunch we went to Spice market near Rustem pasha mosque and then took a late evening Bosphorus cruise, the city looks so beautiful during night. The giant Bosphrous Bridge connects Asia and Europe.
Bosphrous Bridge

Last day started with a visit to Gulhane Park a beautiful garden adjacent to Topkapi Palace. A fountain in the form of a book in the park was quite unique. Water used to splash from right to left as if a page is being flipped.
Fountain at Gulhane Park

 Nearby Archeological museum was also equally interesting. The last place to visit in Istanbul was IKEA store. This was fourth IKEA store I visited till date.
Overall the visit was a great escape from the monotonous routine. The Hotel was clean, comfortable & safe. The hotel staff was very friendly and professional.  Local Taxi drivers tend to cheat the tourists and bargaining in the shops is a common practice.
Though it was Ramadan, food joints were open during the day. Overall I found Istanbul a nice blend of old and new with both east and west culture co-existing seamlessly.


Rustem Pasha Mosque

I hope this blog will motivate you to visit places and share your experiences. Your comments, suggestions are most welcome.

Best regards


Zero

Comments

  1. Unknown10 July, 2014 11:37

    I enjoyed armchair travel through your blogpost. Keep it up. Looking forward to more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zero10 July, 2014 11:51

      Thanks for your encouraging comment. Do consider to post blogs. Best regards

      Delete
  2. Ruhani Yatri 14 July, 2014 09:17

    Enjoyed reading about Istanbul and also the lovely pictures.Looking forward to more such interesting articles from you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zero15 July, 2014 13:00

      Thanks for the feedback. Please do post blogs. I miss those IBIBO days of active discussions.

      Delete
  3. Zero15 July, 2014 12:59

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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