Hi! So it really has been a while since my last post, I'm sorry I was working hard to finish my thesis but now, here I am again. I just realized that I haven't written anything about Istanbul so I'm gonna write it down now. Why do I write "The heart of Istanbul" as a title? Because yes, I'm gonna show you some places and tell you few things you can do only around the old city of Istanbul and Bosphorus River. The old city of Istanbul is located pretty close to Bosphorus River. So Istanbul was a place called Constatinople back then, it's a kingdom of Rome Empire but it's taken over by Ottoman Empire. Here are some things you have to do while strolling around the heart of Istanbul!
1. Entering Hagia Sophia Museum
Of couurse you really have to visit this!! It's used to be a church during Rome Empire but after Ottoman Empire took over Constatinople, it became a masjid. The unique thing is Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror decided that the original ornaments of church didn't has to be changed. So until now, you can see some church ornaments like paintings and also some masjid ornaments like calligraphy. The ceiling was made of gold and they used marbles for the floor and the wall. When I visited Hagia Sophia, it was under construction so I was a little bit disappointed because I couldn't have a perfect picture. So if you'll go there, make sure to check out if there's still a construction.
 |
| Hagia Sophia Museum |
 |
| The price when I entered it last year |
 |
| The ornaments of church and masjid were united |
2. Praying at The Blue Mosque
This is one thing I didn't do and I really regretted it. I was with the tour so I did what I was asked. But if you're there, make sure to take a look inside the mosque or at least enter its gate, I'm sure it's beautiful. The Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built during Ottoman Empire and located right in front of Hagia Sophia Museum! It was under construction too when I was there:( There are some benches in front of this masjid, so you can have a seat, take a break, and enjoy the moment!
 |
| The Blue Mosque with some benches in front of it |
 |
| One of the gate to enter the masjid. You can see the chain was hung lower because of the purpose that the sultan has to bent down to enter it |
3. Buying some breads or peanuts in the square between Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque
I'm sure you'll be hungry after entering Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, but don't worry because there are many carts selling some breads and peanuts! If you wonder how bread and peanut taste like, then you'll have to buy it! Eating a local food is one of the most important thing during traveling. There's a garden too so you just have to buy some, take a seat and start making memories of it!
 |
| My mom with a peanut cart |
 |
| The garden between Hagia Shopia and Blue Mosque |
 |
| Also the garden between Hagia Shopia and Blue Mosque |
4. Entering Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace is located behind The Blue Mosque so you can imagine how many places you can visit only by walking! Topkapi Palace is an Ottoman Empire's Palace and I was amazed by how wide it was, you have to enter so many gates to get to the balcony and there were many buildings, like a kitchen, library, meeting room, pavilions, aand many mooore. You can enter almost all the buildings and each building has a gallery inside, I bet you'll be tired but satisfied after entering all the buildings lol. There were also some gardens and my favorite one was the rose garden! The most beautiful side is its balcony because you can see the Bosphorus River and Istanbul from afar. Make sure to take a picture or selfie there!
 |
| One of the gate to enter Topkapi Palace |
 |
| One of the beautiful building inside |
 |
| I guess it's the library, I'm sorry I forget lol |
|
 |
| Isn't the decoration lovely? |
 |
| The kitchen building |
 |
| The beautiful Istanbul view seen from the balcony |
5. Shopping some merchandises or having lunch at The Old Town
I told you that The Heart of Istanbul is around the old town. Like all the old towns have, Istanbul's old town also has many pretty buildings which are some restaurants and stores, include merchandise stores. Merchandise is also a thing you can't be missed out during traveling and because it has many stores, you can choose various keychains or other stuffs.Beside shopping, you can also have a lunch because there are many local restaurants.
6. Spotting some fortresses
You can walk through the old town to the Bosphorus River, but before heading to Bosphorus River, you can visit some historical landmarks like fortresses. Actually, it's not like a perfect fortress instead it's like a ruined fortress so it's not that long, it's divided so you can't spot it at the same time, you have to take a walk to your right or your left to find other fortresses but they're in the same line.
7. Cruising through The Bosphorus River
This is the most exciting part because Istanbul is so beautiful and you can have a look at its view by cruising. Through cruising, you can see Galata Tower, Rumelihisari Fortress, Ciragan Palace Kempinski, some beautiful masjids in the riverside, and also some famous bridges that are united the Asian part and Europe part of Istanbul. I know it may costs a lot but it's worth it!
 |
| Galata Tower |
 |
| The luxury Ciragan Palace Kempinski |
 |
| One of the beautiful masjid in the riverside of Bosphorus |
|
 |
| Istanbul view |
 |
| Some beautiful buildings in the riverside |
 |
| Rumelihisari Fortress |
8. Enjoying sunset in The Galata Bridge
After enjoying the whole day by walking, you can spend the end of the day by watching a pretty sunset under Galata Bridge. Maybe you'll get confused why I say "under", but it's exactly under Galata Bridge. There are some stairs that bring you to the balcony downside and there are also some telescopes that you can use by putting some coins. If it gets darker then you can see the lights from ships and building which makes it more beautiful.
 |
| The beautiful sunset from Galata Bridge |
 |
| The lights from buildings and ship |
9. Having dinner at the restaurant under The Galata Bridge
After enjoying sunset or while enjoying sunset, you can have dinner under Galata Bridge too. There are some restaurants you can choose! When I was there, I had a dinner in a seafood restaurant and it's served some local seafood. So if you want to taste more local food, then you can choose seafood restaurant!
Well, that are all I can tell about some things you can do in the heart of Istanbul. Istanbul has its public transportation like a tram if you wanna use it. You can pick a hotel near the old town or the riverside of Bosphorus River because many tourist attractions are there. Hope you can be in Istanbul soon and enjoy those things I wrote!!
ps: more pictures and videos are in my Instagram stories with a hashtag #Istanbul, so go check out my profile @muthihasna
Comments
Post a Comment