Istanbul has been on my bucket-list for a VERY long time. When I found out I was going to Greece for work I HAD to make a pit stop in this incredible city.
We flew from Montana to Seattle to New York to MOSCOW to Istanbul and after many many many long hours and a Putin paraphernalia filled airport we finally make it to this magical city.
We checked in to the Reggie Ottoman and were BEYOND impressed with how friendly (and actually hilarious) everyone was! There was also an incredible traditional Turkish breakfast included with a TON of options and fun delicious things to try...
The first morning we were up EARLY - super jet lagged and actually headed out to the main tourist area as we wanted to see the Blue Mosque ect VERY early. We were able to witness sunrise there which was absolutely breathtaking and the perfect start to our trip with the call to prayer echoing in our ears and the skies the most perfect shade of blush pink we wandered around the deserted area with just the local dogs as the perfect companions.
The Egyptian spice market was INCREDIBLE- it was actually dare I say better than the Grand Bazaar- it was an open market near our hotel with- you guessed it- a TON of beautiful spices! It really had everything from hand made artisan goods, to kitchen wares, to coffee ect. It was really beautiful just being outside the in the sights and smells .... The Grand Bazaar was completely covered rather than outside but has a LOT of canal-street-esque knock offs which was very unexpected and odd to me. Still a major bucket-list moment but not as I expected!
Seeing the Bosporus river was AMAZING- I really wish we had more time to cross over and explore the other side. We were in the old town side which was closer to the mosques ect. but the other side looked incredible too and we will most definitely be going back. Wonder what this guy was catching?
