[Turkey] Istanbul | A city where I was moved by the feeling of being in an amazing place between two continents
What kind of city is Istanbul?
Spanning the continents of Europe and Asia,
Istanbul is a very unique city that straddles two continents🇹🇷
In countries I've visited before,
I've thought, 'Oh, this reminds me of that country,' but
Turkey gave me a brand new feeling💭
In the morning, I was woken up by the
call to prayer (Adhan) from the mosques echoing loudly throughout the city,
and when there was a demonstration in the city,
a huge number of security forces in full gear
were lined up in a row.
I saw people praying to God.
It was a wonderful country where I could feel firsthand
how deeply faith is involved in daily life.
It really made me feel like I had come to a foreign land😳✨
The world is so vast...!
\My favorite spots/
Blue Mosque Sultan Ahmed Mosque🕌
Speaking of mosques!
This one with its beautiful blue and white colors💙🤍
You can also enter for free🙋🏻♀️
(There are times when tourists cannot enter
while local people are praying)
I took off my shoes, wrapped the scarf I bought in the city just for this occasion
around my head, and went in!
I can't forget the
solemn atmosphere when I stepped inside...
Galata Bridge
A bridge where you can feel the daily life of Istanbul.
It's a fairly long bridge,
but the bridge is full of local fishermen🎣
And they are catching so many fish🤣
And on the other side,
is the mackerel sandwich shop everyone aims for🐟
From the moment you start crossing this bridge,
you can see so many fish being caught
that it makes your heart race with anticipation for how delicious it will be💕
Galata Tower
It looks like Rapunzel's tower and is so cute🥺🐢
You'll definitely see this while walking around.
You can also climb inside!
But for me, just looking at it was enough.
It's not as tall as I thought😳
Grand Bazaar🛍️
I heard there are about 4,000 shops inside!
It's such a maze that I didn't know where I was walking,
I even had to open Google Maps inside. lol
Honestly, there wasn't a single thing I wanted to buy here,
but it's perfect for experiencing an exotic atmosphere.🥺
Bosphorus Strait Tour🚢
This is se!ri!ous!ly! recommended!
After all, just by getting on a boat,
you can sail between two continents!
I was picturing a world map,
and I was so moved thinking,
Am I in an amazing place?!🥹🩷
I also fully enjoyed walking around the city.🚶
I wanted to eat this,
which is mussels stuffed with rice, before I left,
so I was super excited when I found it.❤️
By the way, in this country,
it goes without saying, but it's not an alcohol culture.
Often, there are no alcohol menus in restaurants.
Even if there are, you might have to order a whole bottle of wine, for example.😂
And it costs like 6,000 yen...
It seems like it's totally fine to buy alcohol at a liquor store in town
and bring it into the restaurant,
so I used this strategy in the second half.🙃
My first time in the Middle East.
I feel like I've gained more life experience
and my perspective has broadened.
Thank you for the wonderful memories, Istanbul!