Istanbul, Turkey #MarinaTravels

I found myself in Istanbul after a long yet pleasant flight with Turkish Airline. Whilst I was feeling a tad overwhelmed by the huge and bustling scene at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport, I was quickly put on a tour bus with the rest of the excited visitors, ready to start our exploration around Istanbul.

I could say this without hesitation that the city of Istanbul is unlike any city I'd visited. From the historical and cultural aspect, the people and their religions to the visually stimulating colors at the Grand Bazaar and the glamorous Byzantine style architectures to name a few, are all very much intriguing and captivate tourists' eye.

Do you ever get the feeling when you are in a foreign country or city that it speaks to you and you are utterly inspired by everything little thing that it has to offer? Well, I do, and its safe to say that it is one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world. Turkey can certainly do that to you. With its country's land covering Eastern Europe and Western Asia, and over thousands of years it has been the birthplace of countless fascinating historical tales and great empires such as ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. There are just too many things to learn and discover in this country.



I was far from familiar with the Turkish history and culture before I arrive. However, being a zealous researcher as always, I discovered some interesting historical facts and cultural heritages that just captured my mind and I couldn't wait to take off to Turkey and learn more about them.

So here is a list of things that you should definitely do and see when in Istanbul:

 1. Cruise through Bosphorus Strait.

 2. Visit Süleymaniye Mosque

 3. Spend a day at Ayasofya Camii (Hagia Sophia Museum)

 4. Then head to Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or better known to people as the Blue Mosque

 5. Walk around the old Hippodrome and check out the German Fountain.

 6.  Don't forget to make time to visit Topkapı Palace, you could spend an entire day just learning about the daily lives of 15th Century Sultans and be amazed by the sublime architectural designs.

 7. Thinking about shopping and checking out interesting ornaments and decors? Head over to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar then!

 8. If you happen to be in Istanbul during Spring and Summer, stop and admire the gorgeous and colorful tulips and hyacinth planted on the sidewalks around the city.

 9. Taste the local street food, simit, corncobs, and roasted chestnuts.

 10. Spend an afternoon wandering around the city of Istanbul and getting to know more about the local lifestyle, and enjoy the brilliant sunset at the end of the day.

I wholeheartedly believe that traveling isn't just about spending money, jetting off from one place to another or taking photos. Sure enough, those things are important, but the most wondrous part of travel is to be stimulated by all the things you witness, is to be completely alive and focus at the moment that is now, and the greatest reward of it all, I think, is to learn as much thought-provoking knowledge as possible about this formidable world that you only get to live in it once.

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” -Jack Kerouac

Follow my journey through Turkey, to be continued...
                                                                                      Marina, xx