So when I was in Istanbul I watched a lot, I felt a lot, I dreamed a lot! The city has a magical atmosphere, a one that is hard to be described. There were some things that absolutely astonished me. I decided to share them with you!
1.The streets with a perfectly mown grass and tulips
Literally every peace of grass there is in this city is perfectly mown and has some shapes and flower decorations. There were flags, lines, tulips and so on. When a city is this beautiful it welcomes it visitors with “open hands” and it is really hard to say “No”!
2. The staff in the restaurants, the cafes, the markets… everywhere
Okay, it was mentioned to me that the client in Istanbul is respected a lot but I wouldn’t believe it until I experienced it. From the restaurants to the small cafeterias and the markets the sellers truly respect the buyers and the tourists at all. It wasn’t a one time when a staff member gave us a free treat after we payed the bill.
3. The bargaining
The bargaining is something absolutely unknown for me and for my country. But when you walk in Kapali Carsi, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, you automatically learn how to negotiate even if you have not done that, ever! It is fun and new, and interesting to watch how people communicate through the language of trade. Here’s how the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) looks like:
4. The desserts
It may be a clishe but turkish desserts are reeeally goood! Turkish delight, baklava, pismaniye, kunefe or really moist pretzel… everything you try is super sweet and super delicious!
5. The Bosphorus
I had the chance to take a long walk along the Bosphorus. The view was awesome, the weather was comme-ci, comme-ca but still the walk was truly fulfilling. Give it a try!
6. The Mosques
The mosques in Istanbul are really powerful, amazingly beautiful and.. just stunning! I got in Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) a.k.a. the Blue Mosque which has six minarets. It is probably the most famous mosque in Istanbul.
But what really got my attention and truly impressed me was the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. Inside it’s absolutely gorgeous. There is an inverted tulip inside the mosque and an old legend says that those who touch it and make a wish will have their wish granted. Here’s some photos of Selimiye Mosque:
7. Tha cats
I’m a cat person, everyone who knows me knows that! In Istanbul there are a lot of cats on the streets and what surprised me is that they were very people-friendly. Apparently people take care of the cats even though they live in the streets (the cats :3). Here are some of the cuties I met in Istanbul:
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replicas camisetas futbol | April 22, 2014
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replicas camisetas futbol
Hello there! This article could not be written any better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a very good r…
bayern trikot 2014 | April 22, 2014
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Hola! I’ve been reading your website for a while now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the fantastic work!|
Maria | Author | April 22, 2014
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Thank you very much! Greetings from Bulgaria!
Chris Briers | April 26, 2014
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Some awesome pictures. The Grand Bazaar looks really cool and interesting. I find Turkey as a whole a really exciting country, a total mix of east and west!
Maria | Author | April 26, 2014
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Thank you! I really loved Istanbul, everything was very interesting and exciting 🙂
Michael - TTC | April 27, 2014
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Surprised not see more landmarks on the list. Did you go to the Hagia Sophia or Topkapi palace?
Maria | Author | April 27, 2014
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Yes, we did! I don’t have many photos from these places, though. Hagia Sophia was so gorgeous and Topkapi, too! I was surprised by the armed men at the entrance of Topkapi but later I found out what they were protecting. So many nice memories from Istanbul 🙂
Daidri | Thee Getaway Gal | April 27, 2014
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Lovely pics… looks like you visited at a very colorful time of year. The grass is so green!
Natasha Amar | July 30, 2014
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Great pictures! I have wanted to go to Istanbul for the longest time but somehow I still have not made it. Your pictures make me want to go even more! Ohh and I love the tulips, we don't see any here in Dubai.
Cheers,
Natasha
Sonia Sahni | September 18, 2014
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Totally loved Istanbul! Its my fovourite city in the world!
Here is a list of what we loved in Istanbul….beyond the usual list of historical monument.
http://tickingthebucketlist.blogspot.in/2014/07/istanbul-beyond-monuments.html
Raza | November 9, 2014
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Istanbul looks so amazing and magical! It’s at the top of my bucket list (well, Turkey in general). I would love to visit Konya and Antalya as well. Now I’m in the mood for some Turkish desserts haha 🙂
Maria | Author | November 9, 2014
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Haha Turkish desserts are yumm!!
Cassey | November 30, 2014
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Wow! I also want to get over here. Just for the shopping and the food. A big group of people thought it would be funny to go to Turkey for Thanksgiving so they could have Turkey in Turkey “hehe”. I decided not to join them because I was having friends visit but your pictures are lovely.
Maria | Author | November 30, 2014
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Turkey in Turkey sounds yummy 😀
Isabella | Love Traveling | April 14, 2015
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I’ll be there in June. Can’t wait for that 😀 😀
Maria | Author | April 14, 2015
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You’ll love it!