TRAVEL RECAP: ISTANBUL DAY ONE

Istanbul, the tale of one city, 2 continents. There was so much to see and do that probably the best way to share will be to walk you through my days.

We decided early on that Day 1 would be a day of general discovery- which translates to: let’s walk around, let’s get a little lost. The only surefire plan on the itinerary was to attempt to hit up the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, The Grand Bazaar and walk the Galata bridge. The only way to get ready for a long day of walking is to start with a hearty breakfast. Thankfully the Witt Istanbul (more on the Witt and our accomodation later) serves up some of the best treats for breakfast.

With a full belly, we were ready to hit the streets and the sights. The first thing I have to say is that of all the places we’ve been to lately, I have never been on the receiving end of so many warm smiles – seriously, everyone was so nice and smiley…if Turkish hospitality isn’t a thing it needs to be one. I’ll fully admit that maybe some of that was due to the fact that the hubby and I looked so clearly different from most everyone else. While in some cities, this has led to stares and curiosity, here there was genuine intrigue- people came up to take pictures with us, to find out where we were from… and it was all so very nice.

First stop the Blue Mosque, which is a must. Entry is free to the public except during prayers. The only rules for entry are to remove shoes and to have covered shoulders, knees and head for women. A scarf is provided if you don’t have one. While the exterior of the mosque is terribly impressive, the interior is even more beautiful, you’ll find that you have to pull yourself away so that you can make it to the next stop.

Between the Blue Mosque and Topkapi palace lies the Hagia Sophia in glorious pink.

Walking from the Hagia Sophia to the Grand Bazaar is a treat to visual senses. Even more color from interesting restaurants, storefronts and more.

THE GRAND BAZAAR – Surprisingly, once in the bazaar, we too way more video than pics. Will share video in a later post. It’s almost an impossible mission to focus. I wanted to buy everything and that just led to utter confusion. So guess what- I ended up not buying a single thing in the bazaar. Could someone send me back- I think I finally made up my mind.

From the Grand Bazaar, we decided to discover Beyoglu area- this turned out to my fave part of Istanbul and where we spent the bulk of our time. It’s in Beyoglu I discovered Gram (pics below). Don’t let the pics mislead you- Gram serves much more than sweets. They offer a lunch menu of seasonal specialities.

Photo fatigue yet? I’m just getting started. more to come…

TRAVEL RECAP: ISTANBUL DAY ONE

GOOD DEED: C-LIFE

ONE WORLD