Hey, what’s up?

It has been a while since I last posted, as life has been quite busy with back to back weekend shifts! Well, guess what? I’m back! I recently went on a trip to Eastern Europe, but I kicked off my European adventure in Turkey. That is, if we exclude Singapore, where I had a 12 hour layover. I spent most of that time questioning my poor life choices, but hey, anything is better than being stuck in the hospital working another shift!

The first place I visited was Galata Tower. It’s basically just a tower, and please don’t ask me about its history because I genuinely have no idea. I only happened to pass by because it was near my hotel. Anyway, moving on to something far more important. THERE WERE SO MANY CATS IN ISTANBUL! Literally everywhere!

Next, I took a bus to Ortaköy Square to see the Ortaköy Mosque, and it was indeed beautiful! I reckon it would have been even more stunning during sunset, but since I only had one day in Istanbul, there was no time to waste! I also tried one of their local dishes called kumpir, which is basically an enormous baked potato, almost the size of my face, stuffed with all sorts of vegetables, meat, and other toppings. It was alright, but not really my thing. At least I can now say I’ve eaten a potato the size of my head.

Then, we made our way to Hagia Sophia, which was still undergoing restoration work and will probably remain that way for another five years. Only the Lord knows when it will finally be completed. I actually bought a ticket to enter, but personally, I don’t think it was worth it. First of all, it was ridiculously expensive. Second, there wasn’t much to see apart from the impressive architecture and its fascinating history of being a church, then a mosque, then a museum, and finally a mosque again. My recommendation? If you’re Muslim, consider visiting during prayer time, as worshippers can enter the designated prayer area for free. You get to experience the mosque without spending a fortune!

After exploring Hagia Sophia, I made my way to the Blue Mosque, which I found particularly beautiful in terms of its architecture. The best part? It’s completely free to enter! However, I couldn’t help but notice that most of the mosques in Istanbul look rather similar, probably because many of them were built during the Ottoman Empire. I suppose the Ottomans had a particular architectural style they really liked, and honestly, I can’t blame them. It’s stunning!

From there, I made my way to the Spice Bazaar, a bustling indoor market where the Turkish people certainly know how to sell their products! Some vendors have even learnt a few words in different languages just to grab your attention. Talk about dedication to customer service! What particularly caught my eye was how beautifully everything was arranged. The colourful spices, Turkish delights, dried fruits, and all sorts of other goodies were displayed in such a picturesque way that I almost felt bad disturbing them. My mum ended up buying some Turkish delight, but I decided against it because I wasn’t sure it would make it past the strict biosecurity checks back in Darwin. Better to leave the Turkish delights in Turkey than have them confiscated at the airport!

We then made our way to the Grand Bazaar, which was absolutely massive! They sell pretty much everything here, from clothes, prayer mats, souvenirs, and jewellery to those beautiful Turkish lamps and countless other things. I ended up buying a cap and a prayer mat, and I must say, it was probably the best prayer mat I’ve ever owned! It was incredibly comfortable, and the design was absolutely gorgeous. One thing I found particularly interesting was that I didn’t come across a single female vendor throughout my visit. Almost everyone running the stalls seemed to be men. Even the hijabs were being sold by men! I found that quite fascinating, although perhaps I just happened to wander through the male dominated sections of the bazaar.

To end my day in Istanbul, I went on a Bosphorus boat tour, which lasted almost two hours. I timed it perfectly with the sunset, and honestly, the views were absolutely spectacular! Seeing the enormous bridges stretching across the Bosphorus, with the golden rays of the setting sun illuminating the buildings along the waterfront, was simply mesmerising. It was one of those moments when you just sit back, admire the scenery, and appreciate how beautiful the world can be. Definitely one of the highlights of my time in Istanbul!

I’ve only explored Istanbul, and there’s obviously so much more to Turkey than just this one city. I’ll definitely return to Turkey someday! Perhaps with my future wife, if I ever manage to get married, because places like Cappadocia and Pamukkale seem like the kind of destinations that would be even more magical to explore with a partner. But for now, I suppose I’ll just have to admire them from afar and wait for my love life to catch up with my travel plans.

Anyway, that’s all for now! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my next blog, where I’ll be exploring Albania, a country with probably some of the most reckless drivers I’ve ever encountered. That’s not an official statistic, by the way. It’s purely based on my personal experience and the number of times I questioned whether I’d make it out alive.

Until next time, happy travelling!