Turkey's currency is called Lira and the exchange rate we had was £1 = 2.30 Lira.
We flew with Turkish Airlines which took us 4 hours to reach our destination.
Look! which plane was revising behind?
The world's largest passenger plane Airbus A380 from Singapore Airlines!
This personal screen in front of the seat only available on newer planes because the one we flew back was an older one which didn't have this facility.
Istanbul is the largest city of Turkey located between the Middle East and Southeast European, and is the only city that has two continents, the European part of the city (left on the map) and the Asian part of the city (right on the map) separated by the Bosphorus Strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
The tram
The roads are not just for the trams, but occassionally you would find cars using the same infrastructure!
We spent 4 nights at this hotel.
The entrance/lobby area
and our room with the bright olive green wall colour!
When we arrived at the hotel it was almost dinner time. We had a look around and almost everywhere was selling the kebab-ish type of meals. We saw this shop looked not so bad and went in to order the one shown on the display menu (yellow arrow pointing) but in chicken instead of lamb.
Next to it was this fruit stall selling freshly prepared juices and we ordered the typical orange juices.
When the meal arrived, we couldn't believe what we were getting.... it was so much different from the display menu although we did ask for chicken instead of lamb, you could even count the chips! Anyway it did come with generous portion of bread...
Straight after finishing that we went to the nearby McDonalds to have a more 'traditional meal'. At least you won't get the menu wrong here.
Next morning we had our breakfast in this restaurant located at the basement of the hotel.
Majority of the attractions are located in the Sultanahment area on the European side which are within walking distance from our hotel. Asian side is mainly residential area so we didn't spend time exploring that part of the city.
Tokapi Palace was once the residence of the Ottaman sultans which is now becoming Istanbul's most fascinating museums. The admission ticket was 10 Lira per person.
The gate of Salutation, entrance to the courtyard of Tokapi Palace
The courtyard after passing through the ticket barriers.
Scaled models found on the side of the entrance.
Corridor displays
The cooking pots and kitchen utensils
The Gate of Felicity, entrance to the inner court
Frankie with the guard!
The Conqueror's Pavilion
Tower of Justice
Porch outside the Imperial Council Hall
Did you know Tokapi Palace actually houses the Moses's miraculous stick? Unfortunately no photograph was allowed. In fact majority of the precious displays including the jewellery and treasure pieces have 'no camera' signs on them!
Within the Palace there is another private section of the apartments, Harem where the Sultan's mother, wives, concubines (妾), children and other members of the royal family, as well as the servants and eunuchs (太监) lived. To get in there we needed to pay another 10 Lira each!
The courtyard of the Harem eunuchs
and the loo!
The Imperal Hall, official reception of the Sultan as well as the entertainment hall of the Harem.
The Fruit Room with painted wall
The Twin Kiosk / Apartments of the Crown Prince
Outside view of the Twin Kiosk
Courtyard of the Favourites
Coming out from Tokapi Palace we went to Istanbul Archaeology Museum which was just a short walk away.
The admission fee was another 5 Lira per person.
Inside the Museum of the Ancient Orient
The Archaeology Meseum
Can you guess what they are?
Here is a clue...
They are called 'sarcophagus' 石棺, basically the coffin made from stone.
The Troy exhibit
The temperature reaching almost 30 degree Celcius on the day and it was too much for us. Before proceeding to the next spot we took a break and had our lunch at this restaurant which is located at the famous tourists area of the Sultanahment. So no doubt it was the most expensive meal we had in Istanbul, and actually we were paying for the view rather than the meal I supposed.. There weren't many choices nearby anyway.
The temperature reaching almost 30 degree Celcius on the day and it was too much for us. Before proceeding to the next spot we took a break and had our lunch at this restaurant which is located at the famous tourists area of the Sultanahment. So no doubt it was the most expensive meal we had in Istanbul, and actually we were paying for the view rather than the meal I supposed.. There weren't many choices nearby anyway.
We sat at the terrace floor overlooking the Blue Mosque, although not directly in front of the view.
The Ottoman's house
The waiter recommended us this Ottaman lamb style (nothing very special other than it cooked with lamb)
Frankie went for the Harem Sultan Special, served with rice and chips, and bread of course.
Frankie went for the Harem Sultan Special, served with rice and chips, and bread of course.
The Hagia Sophia, was once a Christian church, later a mosque and now becomes a museum. Admission ticket to the museum was 10 Lira each.
Stone remains showing the Lamb of God.
Opposite the Hagia Sophia is Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as Blue Mosque because of its interior blue wall tiles.
Entrance was free of charge but you need to take off your shoes and put them in a plastic bag provided.
They also provided ladies with head scarfs to wear, although not everyone followed the rule, but I was exception!
Located next to Hagia Sophia is Basilica Cistern, which is the largest underground cistern in Istanbul. Admisson ticket was 10 Lira per person.
The entrance to the underground cistern.
There are 336 marble columns supporting the ceilings of small domes. They are each 9 metres high.
Toward the northwest corner of the cistern there are two columns with bases carved with head of Medusa. They were only discovered when the cistern was drained therefore their origin is unknown.
To end the day we headed back to the hotel and had our dinner at a nearby restaurant/cafe.
Lamb cutlet
Hippodrome of Constantinople, was once a horse-racing and chariot racing track during the Constaninople's day. Today there are only few monument columns where the hippodrome was.
Located next to Hagia Sophia is Basilica Cistern, which is the largest underground cistern in Istanbul. Admisson ticket was 10 Lira per person.
The entrance to the underground cistern.
There are 336 marble columns supporting the ceilings of small domes. They are each 9 metres high.
This one with decorative features
Toward the northwest corner of the cistern there are two columns with bases carved with head of Medusa. They were only discovered when the cistern was drained therefore their origin is unknown.
To end the day we headed back to the hotel and had our dinner at a nearby restaurant/cafe.
Lamb cutlet
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