Istanbul, perhaps one of the oldest city in the world,
delivered all that it promised and much more.
The first thing that strikes you is its vastness. Only later did I learn, courtesy my Vikipedia, that it is the second largest city in the world with a population of 14 million (first being Shanghai – no surprises there). Leaving all the economic stats to V, I concentrated on the historic part of the city and soaked in the old-city charm that Istanbul had, in plenty, to offer.
A few highlights of our trip:
Feeling a sense of serenity amidst the underground forest of columns (standing in water) – the dim lighting and the haunting Turkish music added to the scene. Dark, cold, wet, but still a place to be
The first thing that strikes you is its vastness. Only later did I learn, courtesy my Vikipedia, that it is the second largest city in the world with a population of 14 million (first being Shanghai – no surprises there). Leaving all the economic stats to V, I concentrated on the historic part of the city and soaked in the old-city charm that Istanbul had, in plenty, to offer.
A few highlights of our trip:
Standing in Europe I watched Asia.
I found the bridge that connected the two continents to be really fascinating
Seeing the staff of Moses and the beard hair of the Prophet
at the Topkapi palace. V was more interested in seeing the Harem but returned
disappointed!
Feeling a sense of serenity amidst the underground forest of columns (standing in water) – the dim lighting and the haunting Turkish music added to the scene. Dark, cold, wet, but still a place to be
Visiting the Blue mosque with
its stunning interiors. The tiles on the dome were transformed in to HD quality
once I put my glasses on
Shopping (window) at the Grand Bazaar. It’s a chaotic but
colourful display of similar kind of merchandises, one shop after the other –
catering to the dollar and euro spenders. It was fun exploring the market,
which was surprisingly very clean
Listening to the most beautiful Azan, while sitting in the
central square (between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia) in the evening. It
makes you stop doing whatever you are doing and just fills you up with a sense
of tranquillity
Watching the whirling Dervish
perform in a state of trance. It is a spiritual experience for the Dervish,
but sadly been reduced to a tourist attraction. Nevertheless, it is
unbelievable to see them spin continuously, defying all rules of equilibrium
Eating all the local delicacies. I
am no foodie but I thoroughly enjoyed my food and drink. The only annoying thing
was the shouts of ‘Shahrukh Khan’, ‘Shahrukh Khan’ each time we passed a
touristy eating place!
Smoking nargile. My first go at shisha
and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The place was filled
with young locals and was a perfect place to relax and unwind
Staying in a room that had a huge
mirror instead of a chandelier, dot, dot, dot
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