Hello everyone!
As many of you know my brother & I have decided to travel to Turkey for the winter break to visit one of my best friends Shanna in Adana & also see some of the rest of Turkey too! Our first stop: Istanbul!
We arrived in Istanbul yesterday extremely jet lagged and completely unsure of how to reach our host. We knew he lives somewhere near Taksim Square, the center of Istanbul, so we hopped a bus heading us in that direction. We were dropped off in the square a bit disoriented and unsure what to do next. We went in search of a cafe where I could find some wifi to contact our host.
At the cafe there was nice girl sitting and reading by herself so we struck up a conversation with her. She was kind enough to lend us her wifi.
One of her first questions was how long we had been in Istanbul. Chuckling, we replied 2 hours. We talked with her for sometime and got our first taste of Turkish hospitality. With the wifi I was able to get the meeting location with the host, but was unsure of how to get there. Although she didn't exactly know herself, this girl walked with us asking directions every few minutes to get us where we needed to go. Such a kind and beautiful soul. I really hope that we have the chance to run into her again while in Istanbul.
Finally we met our wonderful host Alper who took us back to his flat. My oh my, what a beautiful view of the city he has! :)
That night we went out to explore the famous area of Taksim to see what it was all about. How can I describe this place? Crowded craziness... but beautiful craziness. The side streets were my absolute favorite with hidden markets, restaurant and shops. We grabbed a quick doner kabab sandwich and continued to explore the area.
After we were feeling tired (jet lag) we decided to walk to a small shop near the flat to pick up some ingredients for breakfast. The shop was 110 steps down from the flat (yes we counted). We were able to get two large water bottles, 6 eggs, a loaf of freshly baked bread, and milk for 7.40 lyra which is a little over $3. Loving Turkey already :)
We got back to the flat to drop off our groceries to find that the door wasn't opening. We are unsure if one part was accidentally locked or if we were just too tired to get it to work. We tried opening it for awhile and eventually just gave up. We sat outside the door for a little big hoping someone would come by, but there was no luck. Sam actually feel asleep sitting criss-crossed, it was amusing to watch (unfortunately, no picture). We decided to leave the groceries by the door and find someplace warm to wait.
This mishap actually ended up being a blessing in disguise! We walked around more and Sam bought a Turkish language dictionary. We stopped in a small bakery where I was able to get my first Turkish tea and relax awhile. That second outing gave us our second wind! We were also to find cinnamon for our breakfast dish in a spice market. Thank goodness the owner spoke English because we almost bought nutmeg instead!
Finally we came back around 11:00 pm after an awesome first half day in Istanbul. We were exhausted but excited for the day ahead where we would get to see the Hagia Sophia and other famous sites in Istanbul.
More to come!
xoxo,
Becca
As many of you know my brother & I have decided to travel to Turkey for the winter break to visit one of my best friends Shanna in Adana & also see some of the rest of Turkey too! Our first stop: Istanbul!
We arrived in Istanbul yesterday extremely jet lagged and completely unsure of how to reach our host. We knew he lives somewhere near Taksim Square, the center of Istanbul, so we hopped a bus heading us in that direction. We were dropped off in the square a bit disoriented and unsure what to do next. We went in search of a cafe where I could find some wifi to contact our host.
At the cafe there was nice girl sitting and reading by herself so we struck up a conversation with her. She was kind enough to lend us her wifi.
One of her first questions was how long we had been in Istanbul. Chuckling, we replied 2 hours. We talked with her for sometime and got our first taste of Turkish hospitality. With the wifi I was able to get the meeting location with the host, but was unsure of how to get there. Although she didn't exactly know herself, this girl walked with us asking directions every few minutes to get us where we needed to go. Such a kind and beautiful soul. I really hope that we have the chance to run into her again while in Istanbul.
 |
| View from the flat :) |
After we were feeling tired (jet lag) we decided to walk to a small shop near the flat to pick up some ingredients for breakfast. The shop was 110 steps down from the flat (yes we counted). We were able to get two large water bottles, 6 eggs, a loaf of freshly baked bread, and milk for 7.40 lyra which is a little over $3. Loving Turkey already :)
 |
| Sam in front of fancy place in Taksim |
We got back to the flat to drop off our groceries to find that the door wasn't opening. We are unsure if one part was accidentally locked or if we were just too tired to get it to work. We tried opening it for awhile and eventually just gave up. We sat outside the door for a little big hoping someone would come by, but there was no luck. Sam actually feel asleep sitting criss-crossed, it was amusing to watch (unfortunately, no picture). We decided to leave the groceries by the door and find someplace warm to wait.
 |
| View close to the flat |
More to come!
xoxo,
Becca
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