Tea Time Travels

A bit behind in my blogging, I wanted to recap our unforgettable trip to Istanbul at the end of March. We had a long four day weekend off for the Easter bank holiday.  It was the furthest east we have travelled since moving to London, and this trip offered an amazing combination of eastern and western cultures. 

We had the opportunity to experience Istanbul during Ramdan were able to learn more about the culture and traditions during this holy month.

After checking into our bed and breakfast, our first stop was to get a full Turkish breakfast. The Turkish breakfast (and the food in general) was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. We  had a full spread of cheese, hummous, pita, tzatziki, olives, eggs, honey, tomatoes, jams, dips…. It was a feast and every single bit was delicious.

We made our way to the port of Istanbul along the marina and look at some shops along the way. It didn’t take much to convince us to stop in a shop that sold nothing but baklava… AKA paradise. We tried four different types of baklava, each one as delicious as the last. Once we had our sugar fix, we made our way to the spice market.

 On our way to each destination, we were admiring all the stray cats within the city. Istanbul has many stray cats that wander the city, but are very well taken care of by the citizens and the government. Apparently there are around 150,000 street cats in Istanbul. Many shops have little dishes set out with food and water, and most stores welcome the cats in to lounge on their couches and chairs. There is severe punishment in Istanbul against harm toward cats and law mandates that all stray animals must be sterilised.

The spice market was incredible. There were so many spices and teas to choose from, all so bright in colour and so inviting to taste or drink. After exploring the stunning spice market we headed back to the water to watch the sun set at one of the local bars. It was incredible to watch the sun dip behind the mosques.

We went for a Turkish dinner with the most delicious mezze platter and meats before turning in after an incredible first day. 

The next day we went to explore the mosques. Our plan was to go to the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque, however the president of Turkey was in town and was visiting the Hagia Sofia and it was shut down at the last minute. We went to the blue mosque which was stunning. As a woman you have to ensure that your hair and legs are covered, so having a scarf is necessary for  the visit. The details on the interior of the mosque were stunning- I was quickly entranced and could have spent ages admiring the colourful designs.

After the blue mosque (and petting some more cats) we went to the Basilica Cistern. This ancient structure was originally built in the 6th century to store water for Constantinople. It was later enlarged and used to supply water to Topkapi Palace and surrounding buildings. Now, it is open to the public for people to admire it’s stunning architecture. The cistern contains architecture and artifacts that are filled with myth and legend, including 336 columns with various decour, and two medusa heads.

An old friend who now lives in Turkey saw I was in Istanbul through Instagram. I hadn’t seen him in about 10 years, but we reconnected and he showed us the Istanbul nightlife. It is incredible how social media can reunite people. 

The next day we made it a priority to see the Hagia Sofia. We got in line early and finally saw one of the seven wonders of the world. 

It was so interesting to see how the Hagia Sophia has changed over the years. It was originally built as a Christian church, but in subsequent centuries became a mosque, then a museum, then a mosque again.

When it was originally converted into a mosque, many beautiful Christian mosques were covered up. When the mosque was turned into a museum the mosaics were restored. Once it was a mosque again, the building was considered a UNESCO Heritage site and so the mosaics are simply covered in white drapes.

After the Hagia Sofia we made our way to the ferry that connects Europe and Asia. It was only a 20 minute ferry ride but I can now officially say I have been to Asia! We wandered around the various markets, streets and spent quite a bit of time just exploring. We decided it might be nice to get a massage after averaging 20,000 steps daily, and I had the most incredible massage there. 

We took the ferry back to the European side and had one final dinner, accompanied by a cat of course! We had an early flight the next morning but made the most out of every minute of this incredible city. We loved Istanbul- the city was so rich in history, culture, delicious food, new experiences, and incredible people.