Day 2 - Istanbul

On Friday (second day of Istanbul) we woke up really early and had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel.  Apparently carbs are REALLY popular in Turkey because I had three different kinds of pastries with delicious butter and jam for breakfast.  I was pretty miserably stuffed for the entire morning.  However, it gave me energy for all the walking we were about to do. After breakfast, we met our tour group at the hotel and went on our way to explore the City...

Our first stop on our tour was the Spice Market and it was incredible!  I could have spent hours looking at all the spices, teas, candies, and souvenirs! Here are some pictures from the Spice Market...

After the Spice Market, we went on a cruise around the Bosphorus.  It was truly incredible to see the City of Istanbul from the Bosphorus.  For those who do not know, Istanbul is divided in two by the Bosphorus.  One side is the European side and the other is the Asian side.  So, we were able to see both sides from our cruise.  There are so many good pictures to share of the cruise but I will only post a few to save time and space.

This is a huge palace that we toured later today



Erol enjoying the view

This is a man-made island with restaurants, clubs, and a pool on the Bosphorus.

We were told by the tour guide that "high society" come here to socialize.

Well, the next evening, we were able to get a reservation for dinner on this island

thanks to Uncle Askin!



After the cruise, we rode on the tour bus around the City.  Then, we attended a "fashion show" at a local leather store.  It was totally a scam to get us to buy leather at the store, but I still took pictures.  It was so funny!

After the fashion show we had a traditional Turkish lunch at a local restaraunt.  Then, we continued our tour at the Dolmabahce Palace shown above on the Bosphorus.  It was the home of Sultans during the Ottoman Empire.



Our final stop on the tour was across the Bosphorous to the Asian side of Istanbul.  It looked pretty similar to the European side.



To relax after a long day of touring Istanbul, we treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner at Vogue Restaraunt on top of a building near the Bosphorus.  The view from our table was AMAZING!  I will say that part of this dinner was the most surreal part of the trip.  We were having a bottle wine, sushi, and great food overlooking Istanbul.  Then, we hear the "call to prayer" for the Muslims in the city coming from the Blue Mosque.  It truly hit us that we were in a completely different part of the world.  The feeling was undescribable.  I was incredibly happy to be sharing that experience with my husband.  I will remember that moment forever...

I know this is a terrible picture of me but it's the only picture that even attempts

to capture the view.  Of course, pictures do not do it any justice.



I know that I keep saying this, but Istanbul is an amazing city.  It far exceeded my expectations with its beauty and culture.

We were so tired by the end of the night but we had to get to sleep before another tour we were going on Saturday. 

To be continued...