2 days | Feb 2019 | Closeup of Hagia Sophia Museum as seen through a glass of Turkish tea.
Quick Thoughts
Istanbul is one of the rare cities that checks all the boxes. It’s a sprawling transcontinental metropolis that’s withstood the test of time & humanity, which as a tourist means endless explorations of both the ancient & the modern.
This “City on the Seven Hills” also boasts one of the most impressive skylines which can be enjoyed from countless rooftop bars, cafes, & restaurants. Speaking of which, the food may very well be the highlight for most travelers it’s that amazing.
With that said, the best part for me was *drumroll* chilling with the friendly stray dogs & cats that run the streets of Istanbul. But hey, different priorities 🤷♂️🐕🐈
Key Highlights
Link to my collection of Instagram Stories from the trip!
Befriending this street dog with heterochromatic eyes.
You can’t visit Turkey without trying Turkish coffee ☕️
The moment I landed, I went straight from the airport to Ortakoy Mosque and caught this stormy sunrise just in time!
Fish sandwich from the boat restaurant near Galata Bridge (Deniz Yildizi Balikci).
Watching the sunset views of Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia from Seven Hills Hotel rooftop.
Turkish street food is worth trying, especially roasted chestnuts 🌰And of course, try some Turkish ice cream & enjoy the show.
Things to Know
For a free rooftop view of Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia museum, check out Seven Hills Hotel.
There are two major airports, both roughly an hour away from the city so factor that into your itinerary!
Cheers Hostel - I highly recommend this place! Plus the hostel comes with its own dog (:
Get ready to encounter street dogs & cats everywhere! But don’t worry, they are treated well & are quite friendly.
Use Uber.
Watch out for hustlers. I unfortunately had one taxi driver rip me off, and had another interesting incident. In an elaborate scheme, a shoe shiner walked ahead of me and “accidentally” dropped his shoe brush. I picked it up and approached him to return it. He acted surprised and grateful, followed by insisting in giving me a shoe shine. Luckily, my slow brain finally remembered I read about this scheme prior to my trip, so I hurried along my way. Apparently this is a method used to hook you into buying something. I respect the hustle.
