"sağol". the one word we managed to learn and remember from our week in istanbul. this was my second visit to the beautiful city previously known as constantinople but it was completely different than my first (mostly because i'm not a senior in high school who took silly pictures with her friends at the topkapi palace instead of being amazed that the palace covers an area twice that of the vatican). evidence shown here:
i went with my mom, her friend of 20 something years, and a new friend. i've decided to share with you the highlights of our trip. enjoy!
day 1: cooking alaturka
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| eh not the best pic of us..oh wells |
we decided it would be fun to go to a cooking class so for our first day we tackled the jet lag and powered through preparing a five course turkish menu. let's just say it was four hours of slicing, dicing, chopping, and grating and definitely worth it! although a nap afterwards was definitely in order.
day 2: lâle means tulip
we were able to get a private tour guide for two separate days of our trip. good thing we were running late this morning because we definitely forgot she was coming today (fortunately we ran into her in the lobby!). our tour guide's name was lale which means tulip in turkish. it was wonderful to have her because we were able to skip lines at places such as the topkapi palace and the hagia sophia. she gave us a wealth of historical information as well as insight into the modern day turk.
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| at the topkapi palace |
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| having tea at the grand bazaar |
day 3: shopping
we spanned several different districts in which purchasing could occur: the spice bazaar, taksim square, and nişantaşı. the spice bazaar was filled with spices, tea, and turkish delights. it was smaller and much more manageable than the grand bazaar. taksim and nisantasi were interesting in that they showcased two different types of consumer goods.
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| look at those pyramids! |
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| necessary |
day 4: birthday girl
this was the second day with lale and my mother's birthday! for this special day we visited the hagia sophia, explored the underground cisterns, ate at the para hotel, rode a funicular that has been in service since 1875, viewed the city from the galata tower, and dined at the four seasons. a busy day that was rewarded by some delicious chocolate cake!
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| view from the galata tower |
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| in front of the hagia sophia |
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| the only good chocolate cake in istanbul (at the four seasons) |
day 5: bosphorus
it was time to see the city from the bosphorus! we took a tour to the black sea and payrazköy, a very very small fishing village. it was a beautiful day with a beautiful view.
day 6: the "other side"
istanbul spans two continents, europe and asia. us tourists call the two sections the "asian side" and the "european side". turks just call it the "other side". today was our day to go to the other side. we ate at ciya and met with my friend from high school. she took us to baghdad avenue (6 km of shopping and food!) and the maiden's tower.
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| maiden's tower |
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| yay! |
there was much more to the trip than i just showed but i guess you'll just have to come to sit with me and have apple tea to hear more :)
-emily
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