One of the most popular excursions in Istanbul is a ferry ride to Anadolu Kavağı, near the entrance to the Black Sea. The Bosphorus Cruise offered by the city-run Şehir Hatları company costs just 15 Turkish Lira, making for a cheap and easy day out on the water.
After a couple months in Istanbul, I started avoiding my reflection. But one morning, I accidentally caught a glimpse. Yep, a little chubbier than normal. And I was thrilled! Considering the rate at which I had been shoveling Istanbul's infamous sweets into my honey-smeared mouth, "a little chubbier than normal" was perfectly acceptable.
It was the mid 15th-century, and although the Ottoman army had long since surrounded the city, Constantinople was proving stubbornly resistant. In order to more effectively isolate the Byzantine capital, the invaders hastily constructed the Rumeli Hisarı. This fortress along the Bosphorus is still in marvelous condition, and makes for a fun outing.
An afternoon spent exploring Gülhane Park reached an unexpected conclusion when we discovered an abandoned baby kitten and attempted to reunite it with its mother. "Attempted" being the operative word; nature, we were bitterly reminded, is not a Disney movie.
There were experiences I expected to have during our time in Istanbul: eating delicious döner and baklava, visiting mosques, and ferrying across the Bosphorus. But exploring the innards of a decommissioned WWII-era submarine? Nope, I wasn't expecting that one.
The Hagia Sophia isn't just the best-known tourist attraction in Istanbul, or one of Europe's most cherished landmarks... it's one of the greatest buildings in human history. This church, nearly 1500 years in age, was once the center of Byzantine faith, later reborn as the predominant mosque of the Ottoman Empire, and today has found a new purpose as one of the world's most popular museums.
Were we excited to visit the Hagia Sophia? It's just one of the most legendary buildings on the planet. The largest church in the world for a thousand years. The scene of some of history's most decisive moments. A breathtaking architectural achievement on a scale unthinkable for its day. Yes, I suppose it's fair to say that we were excited.
The lively neighborhood of Zeyrek, just north of the Aqueduct of Valens, was one of our favorite spots in Istanbul. It's difficult to reach with public transportation, and lacks any well-known sights, so very few tourists bother to visit. Not that we mind; it just leaves more Zeyrek for us!
Çarşamba is a neighborhood in Istanbul, and also the Turkish word for "Wednesday". Now, what do you suspect might be the best day to visit Çarşamba? You get one guess!
Istanbul has no shortage of old churches and mosques, and it can often feel like too much of a good thing. As our time in the city progressed, we would increasingly find ourselves saying something like, "Honestly, I think we've visited enough mosques". But what are we going to do? Simply ignore something as amazing as the Gül Camii?
