Istanbul

Before leaving Turkiye for the winter last October, we spent a few days at the crossroads of the world; Istanbul. As the world’s 15th largest city, and the only one situated on two continents, it truly is where East meets West. Straddling Europe & Asia, Istanbul has seen many empires rise and fall. The rich history and culture here provide for a fascinating experience. And the view of the Blue Mosque from our hotel room, plus sweeping rooftop views of the Sea of Marmara and entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, added to the sense of romance. 

We toured the hauntingly beautiful Basilica Cistern and vast Topkapi Palace full of priceless artefacts. We marvelled at the many incarnations of the Hajia Sofia & nearby Tombs of the Sultans. We revelled in a sunny cruise along the Bospherus River and gawped at the large summer palaces along the water’s edge. We wandered the bustling maze of the Grand Bazaar (one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world) and sampled the city’s mountains of baklava & Turkish delight.

More than this, our stay was peppered with unique experiences. We dined in an underground ancient Roman boathouse and spent an afternoon in a 400 year old hammam. We ate fresh corn on the cob on street corners and from rooftops watched the sun set behind hundreds of years of stunning architecture. From the Greeks to the Romans and the Ottomans — and everyone in between — every corner of Istanbul has an endlessly fascinating history of contradictions that wind back centuries.