Sinbad, Aladdin and Alibaba, I woke up in Istanboel, oh My Sultan, where art thou......

Watched Aladdin this summer with my niece and thought, "Mmm, time to hit the road again!" And where better to go than one of the most fascinating places on Earth, split between Asia and Europe by just a little bit of sea—hello, Istanbul! Been saying I'd visit for years, but life kept happening (you know how it is). So after years of putting it off, here I am, making my way to the Sultanahmet neighborhood.

We took the Turkish low-cost airline, and let me tell you—it was surprisingly comfy! Not only was the seat better than expected, but they even served us a meal. I mean, I thought I'd be surviving off peanuts and wishful thinking, but no, they came through with a legit meal. Guess the magic carpet ride isn’t the only thing that’s got style around here!

Arrived on Saturday evening, almost midnight, starving and ready to devour anything in sight. So, naturally, we decided to grab a late-night Turkish dinner. The spread? Hummus, olive spread, yogurt, eggplant spread, and a mixed grill to share—basically, the dream team of Turkish cuisine. Oh, and don’t forget the fresh pomegranate juice that was like a burst of sunshine in a glass.

All of this was served by some beautiful young fellas at this dreamy little joint that had me questioning why I’d waited so long to come here. Honestly, the food and the vibes really woke me up—forget coffee, this dinner was my real pick-me-up.

With our tummies content and happy, we strolled through the historic little town of Sultanahmet, and let me tell you, I was in total awe. The sights were straight out of a dream! The Aya Sofia stood there like a giant piece of history, and the Blue Mosque? Absolutely breathtaking. I mean, it’s one thing to see pictures, but standing in front of those monumental beauties… wow, my jaw was on the floor. It was like walking through a living history book, but with way better food.

We decided to have a look inside the mosque and was surprised with the nice ceiling painting .

We got to cover our hair and i dont really mind to be honest .

The Aya Sofia on the day light frim the rooftop cafe.

AyaSofia at night .

After a super healthy brekky contains different kind of veggies and spread , we visited Sultan’s Grave.

Sultans' Thombs from outside.

From inside.

can’t resist to take selfie from the grave’s Thombs.

We kept wandering through the charming streets until we reached the main square to visit the German Fountain. This beauty was gifted to Istanbul by German Emperor Wilhelm II back in 1898, and it’s truly one of the most stunning monuments in the city. Honestly, it's like stepping into a little slice of history, but with a twist of elegance that only Istanbul could pull off. The intricate design, the detailed arches... it was like I stumbled upon a little hidden gem in the middle of this vibrant city. Time to snap some pics, because this moment deserved to be immortalized!

On the other side of the fountain, standing tall and impossible to miss, was the massive Obelisk of Theodosius. Originally built in the Temple of Karnak (yes, the one in Egypt!), this ancient monolith has seen more of the world than most of us ever will. It traveled across continents, through time, and now it proudly calls Istanbul its home. It's like the world’s most well-traveled piece of stone, with a story that spans centuries. I stood there thinking, “Wow, this thing has been around longer than I can even imagine!” You can almost feel the weight of history when you stand next to it.

I took a boat trip along the Bosphorus, and let me tell you, I saw so many mosques that I lost count! Every corner seemed to reveal another beautiful one, each with its own unique charm. I tried to keep track of all the names, but honestly, they were coming at me faster than I could process. It's like a mosque buffet out there—so many to admire, and I just had to sit back and soak in the beauty of them all. Maybe I’ll remember a few names if I get lucky… but for now, I’m just living in the moment!

The Sultan’s palace from the sea.

The bridge divided Asia side and European one.

The maiden tower, on a tiny island , no longer used as lighthouse, its now a restaurant.

Sultan gate on our way to get lunch

Turkish coffee at the square.

After the boattrip we took our late lunch at the square with jack potato( kumir) and mix grill , wasn't that good , everything were cold and not tasty at all .

Traditional Turkish sweet with cheese , pistachio and ice cream and of course Turkish tea for me, with an awesome view from Blue Mosque and the sea .

We spent the most evening strolled around Taksim ,the most busiest part of Istanbul .

Visited the Ortodox Greek Church ( Hagia Triada) and lit a candles for my loved ones.

The turistisch tram , remind me of San Fran .

An other church ( Catholic) St.Antonio, really beautiful from inside .

The famous eat street near Istiklal street.

Intestines on the spit , no thank you very much .

Steam mussel filled with rice .... mmmm 🤔

I decided to eat Turkish rice ( taste like chicken rice) with beef cooked with tomato and veggies

After the dinner stop we walked to fryit market and found this cute mulberry

(Fake) Gucci anybody ?

Watched the street artist , there were tons of them .

This kid is amazing , pity the cops treated him poorly.

Ended the night with Sisha and Turkish delight and tea.

We visited the Sultan Palace Dolmabahce , but it closed so we decided to get some sweets and tea next door.

The Chesnut cart next to the palace.

I consumed kilos of Sugar this week -:)

Look at how happy the swallows.....

We decided to visit Galata tower , the minute i said yes , I regretted it already, the climb up about 1km and steep to the top , shoot me please .

You can‘t really see it here but trust me , its too dang steep.

But the view ? To die for , worth the climb !

Hell yes, i rewarded my fitness with Turkish coffee and pastry, holy crap , the coffee taste amazing like triple espresso... i am in heaven.

today we take it easy and just strolled near our accommodation, view from Karakoy.

Selfie with one of the tons of Mosques, ah why not ?

The next morning we visited the grand Bazaar, huge market , with lots of fake designers stuff made me feel bit ill feel.

Anybody wanna buy me a kg of gold please?

After a quick visit we took the boat to go to Prinsen Island , my opinion ? Don't do this , totally not worth the 1,5 boattrip.

The harbor beautiful though.

Lots of exotics fruits but i was scared to ask the names as the merchant kept saying don‘t make picture !!! Buy or leave 🤔🤔

The tea seller cart ... aww so cute .

The flower power girl 👧

Honestly, I’m with you on this one! I couldn’t quite put my finger on the theme of this island either. Is it hippie vibes? Modern art? Or maybe it’s a sweet, pink Barbie dreamland? It was like a mashup of all of the above! From the buildings, I got total Key West vibes—bright, colorful, and carefree. Then the pink and the flower power just screamed "peace, love, and good vibes," which had me feeling like I’d stepped into a time machine back to the '60s. It was like a fun, quirky little wonderland where everything just worked—in the most unexpected way. Definitely a place that gives you a funny feeling, but in the best way possible!

They even have a mermaid , copy and pasted from Denmark ?

The deeds tree ...

I decidedto soak the sun at the heaven with pide and yummy aryan ( salty milk) and waited for my boat back to mainland.

In the boat , we tried the hot rice milk with cinnamon, nah yeh nah ...

We call it a day and going to pack for our early flight to cold lowland tomorrow morning .

i got my well deserve gate away but ready to head back home,Thank you Istanbul till we meet again .

Nov,16th SultanAhmed , İstanbul.