Instanbul, Turkey

Hello again! In January, I turned 30 years old! Olaf organized a weekend trip to Istanbul for the big milestone. I am, without a doubt, now an adult. And it's kinda nice :)

Olaf was on a business trip the week before my birthday, so I met him in Vienna. A massive storm came through and didn't let up the whole time we were there. We headed to the airport early on Friday morning, but still didn't get to Turkey until dinnertime. 

Vienna street as the storm comes in

When we finally got to Turkey, we were both tired and cranky. Two things cheered us up: the comparatively warm air, and the kitties roaming the streets around our hotel. 

A weekend isn't enough time to do much in Istanbul, apart from the big tourist things. While we usually shy away from tourist attractions, the "top 10" Istanbul sights were things in which we were actually interested. 

First thing Saturday morning we headed on foot to the Grand Bazaar. It was huge, but filled with a nice mix of locals and tourists. Olaf bartered for and bought a handmade backgammon set and a glass tea set.

Afterwards we walked to the Spice Market, which was packed with people and full of tempting goodies. We bought a box of turkish delight, some instant tea and a few bags of different spices. 

We were starving by mid-afternoon, so stopped for a döner kebab for Olaf and a fresh pomegranate juice for me. Delicious! On the way back to our hotel I snacked on a bag of roasted chesnuts and pet lots of kitties. 

Walking down to the Spice Market

The Spice Market

Handmade turkish delight at Hayat. I liked the nougat the best.

Dried fruits

Spices in the Spice Market

Olaf and his döner

For Olaf, döner is the main reason to go to Turkey

After a little walk, we stopped at a baklava shop for a sugar fix. I've never seen so many different kinds of baklava! 

At sunset we walked to the Galata Bridge and watched the fishermen doing their business. Olaf wanted to join in, but we were too tired so skipped dinner and went straight to bed.

The Bosphorus, separating Europe and Asia

The New Mosque

New Mosque

Fishermen

It's someone's bedtime!

On Sunday we visited the Blue Mosque. After mid-day prayers, we were allowed to go inside. We bagged our shoes, but thankfully didn't have to wash our feet. It was a little to cold for that! I swung my scarf over my head, to be respectful. I felt like Carrie from Homeland. 

In the back of the mosque there were was a caged off area. The sign said it was the women's area. The men can use the whole, big mosque, but the women stay in the cages in the back?!? Not my style. 

Prayer cages for women

Before entering the mosque, we waited in the courtyard for the faithful to finish their prayers. A sweet little black kitty came up and fell asleep on my lap. When I tried to move him, he cuffed my nose and growled at me! I still loved him :)

The Hagia Sofia

Courtyard in the Blue Mosque

By the end of our trip we really liked Istanbul, but we were very happy to get back home to our own kitties.