8 hours in Istanbul

When we planned our trip to Cappadocia, there was no plan to go to Istanbul because frankly, Istanbul has never really been on my list. As a Londoner who is constantly in a rush to catch the tube or thinking of ways to avoid Oxford street on a summer Saturday afternoon, I tend to like more laid back cities where everything is chill for my holidays. Also, growing up in Lagos means that I have had my fill of bustling cities. So combine my Lagos + London background, Istanbul was never going to be the definition of holiday vibes for me.

However, when I realised that to get to Cappadocia, we had to fly to and from Istanbul, I thought we could stop over in Istanbul for a day on our way back. Our return flight was to get into Istanbul at 9.50am and we booked a flight departing Istanbul at 18.15 pm which meant that we had ample time to explore a little bit of the city!

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I’m usually a planner when we travel. I figure out places I really want to go and work with my list. However for Istanbul, I had no list. Infact when we arrived, I realised that we were not sure where to even start. Enter Abdullah!

Transportation

We stowed our suitcases away in the locker room in the new airport for 40 TL (for the small locker for up to 12 hours). The small locker fit our 2 cabin suitcases, Mr E’s backpack, my massive tote and my hat! Then we walked out of the airport at about 10.15am and the 1st taxi we saw was Abdullah’s. He said he could drive us into the city for 150 TL and we asked if he could stay with us all day; he agreed and became our unofficial tour guide as well.

Where we went. What we saw. What we ate.

Sultanahmet Square aka Blue Mosque Square

This was the first place Adbullah took us to as he felt that we could cover a lot and he was right! We started with the square and headed to Aya Sophia. In this square, there was the Obelisk of Theodosius, The German fountain (my fave structure in the square), the walled Obelisk and the Serpent Column. These are ancient monuments that have survived till present day.

Hagia Sophia aka Aya Sophia Müzesi

Just opposite the Blue Mosque. Formerly a Greek Orthodox Church then became an Ottoman Mosque and today, a museum. It represents a meeting point of two religions – Christianity and Islam. Again, grand, overwhelming and it was not very visible from where we stood. Once thing I did not understand was why there were massive trees covering such a monumental structure. We kept going around it to see if we could get a better view of it but no matter where we stood, it was covered by trees.

Sultanahmet Camii aka Blue Mosque

It took us a while to realise it was the Blue Mosque we had been staring at. I think the sun was so hot that the colours were a little difficult to initially spot. Anyway, we got there in the end. Again, the architecture was covered so not very visible. We were standing in front of it but did not realise, we had to ask and when the security guard pointed behind us, we felt foolish but wondered why both Aya Sophia and Blue Mosque were covered by huge trees.

The garden area in front of the Blue Mosque was very pretty. People sitting and taking pictures around, kids dancing in the water fountains; honestly, the vibe was just so lovely. This was probably my favourite place in everywhere I visited.

Tomb of Sultan Ahmed Khan

The burial site of the tomb of 14th Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Ahmed Khan I was also a monumental one to witness. The beautiful ceilings, burial boxes draped in velvet, the Arabic inscriptions – everything looked so grand and gorgeous. If there is one thing I learnt from Turkish infrastructures, it is that their designs are so pretty. As a sign of respect, you are asked to take of your shoes at the entrance and dress modestly. I had a scarf so I just covered my hair and wrapped it around my shoulders too (as I was wearing a sleeveless, low cut top)

Carpet Museum

We passed by the Carpet Museum and I noticed the entrance because it was spectacular and boujee. I had to ask the security guy what exactly was housed behind the walls. Like sir, Is it only carpet? Lol Thankfully, he found it funny too and even teased me when I posed in front of it.

Spice Bazaar aka Misir Çarsisi

After seeing all of the above (they are all around eachother), we headed back to Abdullah’s taxi and he drove us to the Spice Market. Ok. This was a MAD house. Tbh, when I think Istanbul, I think Lagos. Busy, Traffic, Overcrowded and just bubbling AF. The Spice Market was everything and more of what I described above. People screaming “Buy this” “Taste this” “Come, I give you free to drink” Gosh, it was tooooooo much.

The highlight was when one of the guys called me Naomi Campbell and I gave him a funny look; then he immediately apologised and said to me “Infact you are finer than Naomi Campbell”. I just burst out laughing because he looked like he was trying so hard not to upset me.

Oh market men!

I bought some baklava and sweets from the market to take back as souvenir and was given some extras to munch as we continued our Istanbul tour.

Once we left the market, I could smell boiled corn so I let my nose lead me to it LOL The last time I had boiled corn was years ago in Lagos (see why Istanbul = Lagos?) I bought one for 4TL and it was lush!

The Bosphorus

The plan was to have lunch by the Bosphorus but we thought to just keep it moving. Abdullah parked in a dodgy area lol and beckoned for us to get down, pointed to where he thought we’d have a good view and told us to be back in 15 mins max LOL Honestly, he was our driver, tour guide, teacher and stern parent all in one haha We skipped along the path he showed us and in a minute, we were by the Bosphorus and could see the bridge as well. One of those times that you stop, breathe and take it all in.

You see, up until now, everything was fast paced but getting to the Bosphorus and remembering its importance gave us a lovely moment that we both felt grateful for.

Besiktas football stadium

Across from where Abdullah had parked was the Besiktas football stadium. If you have been reading my blog, you know that Mr E always visits the well-known football stadium whenever we go to a new city. As soon as he saw the sign, his face lit up with excitement lol and I became his photographer, snapping away to get the most perfect shot for him.

Back to the airport!

15.30hrs – From Besiktas club, we had seen enough for such a short time and at this point, we were very tired and hungry. We got to the airport about 30 mins later, paid and thanked Abdullah then headed in to find food.

Istanbul was A LOT to handle. Coming from peaceful Cappadocia all zened out, we entered Istanbul unaware of the madness. It was busy and very tiring. There were tourists everywhere, cars honking, people casually screaming in the name of conversations and just too much for me!

I think it would have been better to go to Istanbul on the 1st leg of our trip and then end the Turkey trip in Cappadocia (not the other way around like we did). I wonder if it ever gets quiet in Istanbul? I doubt it!

We ended up paying Abdullah 450 TL for the entire trip. He had spent over 5 hours with us and helped us as much as possible from being a tour guide to helping us map out our itinerary. I would have paid him more because tbh 450TL is a little over £50! (via my Starling Bank rate lol)

Anyway, I can say I went to Istanbul right?

Would I go again? We’ll see! Maybe I can go for a few days and then retreat to an island afterwards to cool down lol