Istanbul, Constantinople

Istanbul was unique. Located on the breathtaking Bosphorus strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn which extends both on the Thrace (European) and Anatolia(Asian) sides of the Bosphorus making the only metropolis in the world situated on two continents. Oh I have plenty to tell on my personal experiences. But I'm too excited to start it off with pictures. I've tried to contain my excitement. But oh well, screw it! Here we go

Despite the gloomy and raining weather, my spirit was there. A bit chilly some days but most of the time we didn't realised it. The people is utter nice when you're married and in hijab and the food. Oh the food, seriously can knocked off 10 years of me and my husband's life but we don't care. Now instead of actions, I have to sit and think about how should I lose the holiday pounds. Haha.

There was nothing to hate about this city.

Friendly cats and dogs roamed about the city just like the citizens itself. In every inch of its fibre there's mosques. Literally every 10 steps you take. Though it sadden me that less than a quarter of their moslems only practice. The magnificent blue mosque from the Ottoman empire still standing perfectly. The controversial church/mosque Hagia sophia is beautiful.

Thousands of shops accommodate the Grand bazaar. The exhaustive hilly walk to the massive Topkapi palace. The smell of the sea. The delicious delicacies. The antique deco. The romantic walk at night with the sound of flute played. I could go on forever. And most importantly the city pretty much a safe place for tourist if you're not a party type.

My favourite was the character of the city itself. Dedicated persuasive touts but not persistent, affable fisherman ready for photos whenever a fish was caught, a man with a big heart feeding a big loft of pigeons - it was a photography heaven.

I'll keep the story short and leave the whole story to those that have Istanbul in their list. One thing for sure, Istanbul is worth it.

A cliche but Istanbul sure is one of my most favourite city I've visited. A city must be visited by an adventure seeker, food lover and most importantly, a person who truly appreciate a good old history. 

I'll shout it out loud here - I love Istanbul!

Credit : Some of the pictures taken above are inspired by lovely sister Shaliza Mokhtar.