Istanbul, Turkey Travel Blogs

Warmer Climes
Oct 8, 2005 (27 photos)

... . Shannon had travelled very little previously, but John had been to Turkey twice before, so spoke some Turkish. Istanbul (population 15 million), Turkey's major city (and a huge sprawling city it is), is like a piece of Turkish delight waiting to be ...

Istanbul not Constantinople
Feb 22, 2006 (5 photos)

... would have the option for the tours. My brother has a friend that asked for us to get in contact with his family while in Istanbul and we were not going to do any optional tours. The guilt was piled on but we had already decided that we were not going to ...

Its Istanbul not Constantinople
Sep 14, 2006 (10 photos)

... ...etc It goes on and on. We did make it to our hostel without being swallowed up by the mob. Day one in Istanbul was full of amazement. Everything is so grand. The old ottoman sultans, until the collapse of the empire after world war 1 continued ...

Istanbul in a day
Jun 27, 2008 (20 photos)

... ; The girls escort me to Reina, a club on the Bosphorus river... what we were told was the hottest spot in Istanbul was absolutely amazing.  Set under a perfectly lit suspension bridge that seemed to change colors in unison with the Turkish techno- ...

Back to Istanbul
Sep 21, 2007 (4 photos)

Arrived back to Istanbul this am via overnight train...it was pretty hilarious because at times it seemed like the train would jump its tracks throughout the night...up and down, side to side, stop here then go etc...it was quite amusing.  We had a ...

Aya Sofia and The Archeological Museum
Aug 12, 2007 (17 photos)

... spent the morning at the magnificent Aya Sofia.  Just as good as the first time I saw it many years ago when I visited Istanbul with my mom.  Loads of people but the huge structure still took my breath away.  As before, there was a huge ...

One of the most amazing cities in the world!
Jul 21, 2007 (5 photos)

... building.  Quite lovely. Took the ferry back early evening as the sun was setting against the islands and skyline of Istanbul.  The wind was whipping around and cooling the air, the sound and sights of the mammoth seagulls all around.  ...

I don't know how I feel about heights
Feb 24, 2006 (115 photos)

... Bridge. The galata bridge was filled with restaurants selling fresh seafood. We were saving our appetite for our favorite restaurant in Istanbul, Omar's. Our friends from Develi spices were so excited to see us. Even Baba, the patriarch was happy to ...

Istanbul
Aug 17, 2005 (13 photos)

... world (until St Peter's in Rome was built). It was changed into a mosque by commander Mehmet II when he took charge of Istanbul in 1453. The guilded mosaics were covered in plaster in about 726 - 843 AD when all images other than the cross were banned. ...

Final few days in Istanbul
Jul 12, 2007

... Jose Gonzalez and Antony and the Johnsons playing.  The venue was a very intimate place next to the hospital in the centre of Istanbul.  Jose Gonzalez played first and for me (Pat) he was very average. I don't know much of his music but he was ...

Athens to Istanbul
Dec 28, 2005 (19 photos)

... carrier: OSE hints: you will not arrive on time. the border crossing to turkey takes forever. Greek people call Istanbul "Konstantinopolus". you have to change trains at the border. ------------------------------------------------------------ ...

Istanbul
Dec 30, 2005 (92 photos)

istanbul. city of mixture. staying with meltem and ege. feels like home. nice not to sleep on a train. relaxation. exploring the city without backpacks. can come home. can sleep in a bed. sheltered environment. we like it. baidi likes mango. gonna buy a ...

Europe meets Asia - the great divide...
Sep 2, 2006 (73 photos)

... a city filled with constant excitement, it still shines above the rest. Taksim? Brilliant. The list of brilliant istanbul features continues, especially the consumables: turkish coffee, apple tea, water pipes, turkish delight, chicken rice that reminds ...

2nd full day Istanbul
Jul 10, 2007 (16 photos)

... a few items to snack on. That's harder to find here--at least in this district, obviously there are grocery stores in Istanbul, the population is 15million. One other thing that made me shake my head today was that after we found out how to use the ...

Day of Pamper (Turkish bath!)
Jul 21, 2008 (3 photos)

... breakfast place online.  The place apparently served Pope at one point.  http://www.themarmarahotels.com/The-Marmara-Istanbul/index.asp Indeed the place was fancy and expensive.  We indulged in fruit pancakes with Canadian syrup, eggs ...

Kid blogs
Jul 10, 2007 (6 photos)

Alex: I am having a great time in Turkey. As you know, I am in Istanbul. We had a tour guide today. He showed us to a 5-star hotel named the Four Seasons. If you want to know what a 5-star is, some people rate the hotels with stars 1-5. It was really ...

Bootlegged Bosphorous Tour
Aug 8, 2008 (10 photos)

Soo bootlegged.  Only 2 hours long.  Ghetto plastic chairs.  Did not go past the fortress.  The only saving grace was the view and Efes.

Icmeler to Istanbul
Jul 7, 2007 (26 photos)

... take note! Afetr what seemed like forever the sun came up and we boarded the ferry for the final stint in our journey to Istanbul. This crossing over the Sea of Marmara was to shave 5 hours off the journey time. After a rather hair raising dodgy cab ride ...

Planning, planning, planning!
Aug 6, 2008 (1 photos)

... and I figured we are too tired to go out to karaoke with our friends, so we decided to just go watch tonight's game (Turkey vs. Hungary).  Hasan told us that his team's colors were blue and yellow, so we showed up wearing blue dresses... then we saw ...

The Kanyon: The Nicer Mall
Jul 30, 2008

... shaped dome covering the mall, leaving the mall partially outdoors.  People were more stylish and less creepy than central Istanbul for sure.  The employees at the stores did not harrass you either.  Spacious and nice restaurants lined ...

Turkish Delights
Jul 25, 2007

... to take alternative routes at times to avoid running into someone İ have told İ will see later...etc.  Turkey and specifically Istanbul is much more secular than many of the other places İ have visited.  Still hear multiple calls ...

Chora Church and Fetiyeh Camii
Jul 21, 2008 (3 photos)

... .  No, they said, you must have IDs.  I was like, "Noooo, lutfen, lutfen, we are oranciyim, no money, we love Turkey!"  My friends were cracking up in the back, one tried to plead with me, and another- an art history major- was just antsy to ...

Second-to-last day. The countdown begins
Jul 13, 2007 (8 photos)

... . If this was my house, I would be very paranoid. But in all, it was very cool. Yet another reason for you to go to Turkey, my friend. After we were done, we went back to the hotel and Kate and Mom went to the Turkish baths. Dad, Alex and I went to ...

Cairo to Istanbul
Jul 4, 2008

... it? While I was thinking through these things, the 2-hour flight was almost over.  When the plane landed in Istanbul, people started clapping.  Interesting.  Over the visa counter was a list of about 40 countries and the visa price.  ...

Time in Turkey with More Maguires
Jun 2, 2004 (15 photos)

... booked two rooms in a great hotel for two nights, so it was the softest landing we´ve had yet upon entering a country. Istanbul is a really beautiful place; from the airplane view of the countless mosque minarets rising above the rest of the city, to the ...

More Istanbul! More pide!
Jul 12, 2007 (8 photos)

... of more sleep, a more relaxed schedule, the lecture the children heard from me about whining and becoming more accustomed to Istanbul made the beans much more pleasant to be around today. They've been doing well, but there was room for improvement. They ...

Classes
Jul 8, 2008 (3 photos)

... waking up each morning and starting a new adventure.  Every single day.  Egypt was just so thrilling and challenging.  Istanbul, of course, has so much to explore too, but I move with a big group of students who have different ideas of ...

Oooooooh, Turkish Bath
Jul 13, 2007

It was something we really wanted to try and were really looking forward to, but didn't know what to expect: the traditional Turkish Hamam. We (Kate and I) chose to go to a 400+ year old hamam that was designed by the preeminent architect of the Ottoman ...

last stop....Istanbul
Dec 21, 2007 (49 photos)

... negativity towards the Kurds...many have moved away from the more violent parts of the country in the east, relocating to Istanbul.  The Turks see them as outsiders, lower casting them.  And then, speaking to individuals, hearing personal stories ...

Another scholarship! and karaoke
Jul 31, 2008 (3 photos)

Hey hey hey!  I won yet another scholarship- this time from the Korean Embassy!  Apparently I am among the 110 outstanding Korean undergraduate/graduate students in the U.S. and Canada.  I should really start applying for more scholarships ...