Istikal Caddesi

OzsTravels Europe, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , , , 0 Comment
Istikal Caddesi

Istikal Caddesi, Independence Avenue, was the destination for our last night in Istanbul. Being a Sunday Night I was not expecting it to be as busy as it was, the entire avenue was filled with people all out for a bit of fun, food and a stroll or a ride on the Red Tram. If I had done a little research before I would have found that the area that includes Istikal Caddesi is one most popular places in Istanbul to shop, relax, people watch and have fun that, on an average weekend day, around 3 million people visit. The avenue itself is 1.4km long and stretches from the district near the Galata Tower to Taksim Square.

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Sunday In Istanbul

OzsTravels Europe, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , , , , , , 2 Comments
Sunday In Istanbul

After visiting the Blue Mosque, we decided to check out what Sunday in Istanbul is like, it definitely was not quiet. We visited the Spice Bazaar, the square out the front of the Yeni Cami, the underpass to the Galata Bridge, watched the fishing off of the Galata Bridge, enjoyed the sunset behind the Yeni Cami and then walked across the Galata Bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

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The Blue Mosque Istanbul

OzsTravels Europe, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , , , 2 Comments
The Blue Mosque Istanbul

After exploring the Hagia Sophia we headed to the Blue Mosque. We had tried to visit the Mosque on our first day but our timing was off as we were about to enter when the Ezan, the call to prayer, was chanted for Ögle / Zuhr , the middle of the day prayer, and visitors are not allowed in the Mosque during Salah, a physical, mental and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day . The timing of each of call to prayer varies as Islāmic prayer times are set according to the movement of the sun, therefore it is a good idea to check prayer times prior to a visit to a Mosque. Please note that Muslim visitors are welcome to attend prayers.

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One of the educational services provided by the Blue Mosque is a presentation about the Blue Mosque and Islam, these are free of charge and start at 12:00pm and afternoon prayer times, I did not know about this until I read the info whilst processing this photo, thought that these were the prayer times. Something to check out next time. For more

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Hagia Sophia Istanbul

OzsTravels Europe, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , 1 Comment
Hagia Sophia Istanbul

After a full-on first day in Istanbul we had another busy day on day 2 in Istanbul we wanted to visit the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Spice Market, so lots more walking.

Our first day was overcast, the second day we had blue skies and temperatures in the high teens (Celsius) a great day for exploring. After a lazy breakfast at the hotel it was time to head back to Sultanahmet to visit the Hagia Sophia. The Museum Pass İstanbul provides you with express access to the Hagia Sophia, so suggest that you grab one before heading to the place as it is the second most visited museum in all off Turkey. For more

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A Progressive Dinner On Two Continents

OzsTravels Europe, Food, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , , , , , , , 2 Comments
A Progressive Dinner On Two Continents

One of the things that most people rave about in Istanbul is the food, so I wanted to find a tour where we could experience as many different types of food as possible, and I found it. A Progressive Dinner on Two Continents provided by My Local Guide Istanbul. I like progressive dinners, have even organised one onboard a cruise ship, you get to dine at different places / restaurants as you progress through the different courses and the Taste of Turkey on Two Continents Tour was exactly what I was looking for. The Bosphorus is the demarkation line between Istanbul’s European and Asian districts, one side of the Bosphorus is the European Continent, the other side is the Asian Continent, so there are some very different cultural aspects on each side, especially when it comes to food.

Our guide for the tour was Salih Batkin who really enjoys providing his guests with a unique experience. He really made sure that we were looked after and answered all of our questions.

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Istanbul Day 1

OzsTravels Europe, Istanbul, Places, Turkey , , , , , , , 4 Comments
Istanbul Day 1

İstanbul, what a place! It was, and still is, one of the cities that I have wanted to visit, as I had only heard great things about the place, the food, the history and the food. Three and a half days are not enough time to see all of the sights, but enough to know that I need to return for a longer stay.

Istanbul

The hotel we stayed at for the duration was the Intercontinental İstanbul, which is situated next to Taksim Park and Square, not far from Taksim Train Station and the Füniküler that takes you to Kabataş interchange where you can grab a tram that crosses the Golden Horn and takes you into the Sultanahmet District. For more

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