Grad Trip Day 1 & 2: Istanbul, Turkey

Unofficially graduated!

We got introduced to Turkey by a friend of ours who visited the country in January.

Thereafter, we decided to settle for Turkey as our main destination!

The whole planning process was really arduous, since we had other destinations to plan as well

and my whole trip lasted for 24 days!

But having said that, I am really glad that the hours put into planning during the school 

semester were indeed well spent.

Not only did we manage to take advantage of flight deals (my multi-city Qatar flight costs S$976), 

we also made good use of the airbnb collaboration with DBS bank, which led us to major

cost savings as well!

Alright, enough of the rambling!

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DAY 1: 19 MAY 2014

This day marks the start of my graduation trip!

We landed in Istanbul Ataturk airport at noon and we were greeted by snaking lines at the

passport control booths, damn.

After spending close to an hour at immigration and baggage collection, we met with our

driver who was waiting to pick the five of us.

The private airport shuttle was arranged by our host, Nico, and it costs 45 euros to get us

straight to the apartment.

Our apartment is located in Taksim, and it was just a minute away from the famous Istiklal street.

Before arriving, we were a little worried about the tension in Turkey since

the mining incident happened just a few days before our trip and protests were being carried

out at Taksim square.

Nevertheless, our host did not mention anything about staying away from Taksim square

during our stay and so, we assumed that it was safe to get around.

Right after putting our bags down, we went straight to the money changer to get more

Turkish liras.

Before embarking on our trip, we managed to change some Singapore dollars to Turkish liras

at a money changer in Arcade.

But like what most people recommend, it is always better to change the bulk of your

euros into liras when you are in Turkey, which is true!

The exchange rate at the money changer along Istiklal street was 1 euro to 2.85 liras.

Taksim tramways

Walk down the Istiklal Street

Taksim Square

After walking along Istiklal street, we decided to walk to the Galata tower, one of the atractions in Istanbul.

The walk to Galata Tower took us about thirty minutes, and it was relatively easy since

it was mostly down slopes.

Galata Tower

The Galata Tower is a stone medieval tower situated just north of the Golden Horn's 

junction with the Bosphorus, and it was the tallest structure during the time when it was first built.

We did not climb up the tower as there were countless reviews online saying that the entrance fee 

was not worth paying for and we could get a panoramic view elsewhere!

So after snapping a few photos, we decided to walk towards the Galata bridge.

View of Sultanahmet from the Galata bridge

Every single day, you will see a crowd of people fishing on the Galata bridge without fail.

I guess the bridge is a hot spot for fishing considering the fact that each of their buckets

were filled with tons of fishes!

And to add, the fishes they caught were the common ones I have seen which were used in their

traditional fish burgers.

I tried those burgers and the fish had tons of bones in it, which made it cumbersome to eat

after a while.

On our way back to the apartment, we dropped by a famous bakery to buy

a traditional Turkish sweet pastry called baklava.

Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the pastries.

But if you were to visit Turkey, you should definitely try baklava at least once!

I like those with pistachios the best! (:

Another must-eat in Turkey is kebabs or doner.

Kebab shops are ubiquitous in Turkey, and so you will definitely not miss it.

Needless to say, our first dinner in Turkey was kebab!

We went to the kebab shop recommended by our host, and it was cheap and good

for the five of us to share!

If I could remember correctly, we ordered an eggplant kebab and a chicken shish kebab.

I really liked the eggplant kebab even though it was burnt on the outside!

A different kind of kebab if you are looking for a vegetarian option (:

So that sums up our first day in Turkey!

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DAY 2: 20 MAY 2014

Our main plan was to spend time in Sultanahmet today.

We took the funicular F1 from Taksim to Kabatas, and then transferred to a tram T1

in order to get to Sultanahmet.

Just to note, a transfer requires a new fare payment.

Hence, we each paid six liras for the entire journey from Taksim to Sultanahmet.

If we had known, we would have purchased the Istanbul Kart for cost savings!

Our first attraction of the day was the Blue Mosque, which was located just a short 

walk from the tram stop.

If you wish to enter any mosques in Turkey, you will have to abide to their dress etiquette.

The main things to take note of are your shoulders and legs, and tight fitted clothes

such as leggings are deemed inappropriate.

A good thing about the Blue Mosque is that they provide robes and scarfs for free

in the event that you do not have the appropriate attire to enter.

Blue Mosque

 View inside the mosque

The decor inside the mosque was stunning indeed.

I have seen beautiful churches all around Italy, but this mosque has the same kind of

wow factor.
It was so memerising and serene in the mosque even though it was packed with tourists.
I would definitely put the Blue mosque as one of my top picks for sights in Istanbul!

Nutella Bagel

After exiting the Blue Mosque, we stopped by a snack cart to get some Nutella

bagels to munch on!

We did not buy the pretzels as I have previously read that the pretzels are really

tough and hard to chew on.

The bagel was really nice on the other hand, simple but yummy!

Thereafter, we decided to make a trip to a local restaurant called Ziya Baba,

located somewhere in Sultanahmet region.

I chanced upon this restaurant on tripadvisor while on the lookout for eateries 

where locals dine at.

Lunch at Ziya Baba

The prices were reasonable here and the owners are really friendly too.

The lentil soup was the best we had in Turkey.

Kind of miss it now as I am typing this.

After lunch, we headed to the Basilica Cistern, which is the largest ancient cistern that lies

beneath the city of Istanbul.

I was pretty excited to visit the cistern since it was featured in Dan Brown's latest novel, Inferno.

Just to note, even with the student card, the entrance fee is fixed at ten liras.

Basilica Cistern

Head of Medusa

Being in the cistern definitely meant a time out from the heat.

It was cooler here and the air was much fresher.

The weight of the cistern was supported by the many columns erected.

In the northwest part of the cistern, there were two medusa column bases.

The head was said to be placed upside down so that she would be the same height right side up.

After the Basilica Cistern, we made a trip to the Grand Bazaar.

Although it was one of the main sights to see in Istanbul, we were bored within a span

of five minutes.

So, we decided to head towards the Spice Bazaar instead!

Spice Bazaar

The spice bazaar is a great place for gift shopping.

You can find a wide variety of spices, as well as tea and turkish delights, in any of the shops.

The one thing I didn't like about shopping here is the way shopkeepers try to get customers in.

Throughout our entire time, we have heard countless 'hello' in Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.

Not only that, once you step into a shop, it becomes a little difficult to get out since

they keep introducing different products to you.

But having said that, we managed to find a shop that didn't bother carrying out any of 

those annoying actions, and we happily purchased black and apple tea leaves home to taste!

We went back the next day to get some Turkish delights from them too!

New Mosque 

Right outside one of the entrances to the Spice Bazaar was the New Mosque.

We didn't have a chance to enter the New Mosque as we wanted to explore the area outside

the Spice Bazaar.

I'm really glad that we decided to explore despite the huge crowd in the small alleys, because

we found a really nice Turkish dessert!

Künefe

Do not underestimate this.

This is actually shredded and fried dough stuffed with cheese, bathed in syrup and sprinkled

with pistachio powder.

It had a good balance between sweet and savoury as the saltiness in the cheese 

complimented with the sweetness of the syrup.

Also, it was crispy on the outside, but really soft on the inside.

It was so delicious that we decided to return for more the next day!

After walking around the different alleys, we decided to head back to Taksim.

This time, we opted for a different route to see the colourful rainbow steps!

Rainbow steps 

The only reason why it looks pretty is because it has hundreds of steps.

We really worked out every single day by climbing tons of stairs and walking up steep slopes.

That night, we met one of our floorball mate for dinner and dessert.

We were just snapping photos at Taksim Square in the morning when our paths crossed.

Fate.

And then, we decided to meet for a meal together!

 Chocolate mousse at Hafidz Mustafa

Turkish delight

One of our friend recommended us to try out the desserts at Hafidz Mustafa.

No regrets.

The desserts here are so yummy, especially the pomegranate turkish delight!

The chocolate mousse was so sinful, but awesome.

Although it might be pricey for a couple, it was reasonable for us since there were

six of us to share the costs.

That also meant that we could order a greater selection of desserts to try!

The perks of travelling in a big group.

That sums up our second day in Istanbul!