Istanbul: Sightseeing and Shopping

In addition to historical landmarks, I had fun seeing other sites and picking up some souvenirs during my trip to Istanbul. I especially enjoyed the city’s various markets—the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar were vibrant, overwhelming, and full of gorgeous displays of scarves, spices, Turkish delight and hand painted ceramics. I also spent a lovely afternoon at the Topkapi Palace, once the Sultan’s palaces, overlooking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

~ View of downtown Istanbul from where I stayed ~

~ Istanbul does Christmas ~

~ Topkapi Palace ~

~ Council Chamber ~

~ Sultan's library ~

~ View of the Bosphorus from the palace ~

~ Delightful Turkish bakery ~

~ Ceramics at the Spice Market ~

~ Night view across the Golden Horn ~

~ From European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul ~

Istanbul: Old City

My first trip during the Christmas vacation was to Istanbul. It was a great visit; I stayed with friends of my brothers who were fantastic hosts, and the city itself is beautiful. Its liveliness and energy perfectly balance the city’s age and history. I loved walking around the old city, seeing the Blue Mosque, Ayasofya, and Basilica Cistern. Every site was impressive, but I thought the Blue Mosque was the most incredible thing I saw during my stay. The size and architectural design are impressive, and I was mesmerized by the gorgeous mosaics inside.

~ Blue Mosque ~

~ Blue Mosque courtyard ~

~ Inside the Blue Mosque ~

~ Basilica Cistern ~

~ Ayasofya ~

Vacances de Noel

My second of three 2-week vacations begins this weekend! This one is the Christmas break (not to be confused with the winter break in February). I'll be taking two trips: the first to Istanbul (I did my best to find a non-Christian country where I could do tourist-y things during Christmas), and the second to Paris and Strasbourg with my friend Sean. I'm really excited about the trips: Istanbul and Strasbourg are both places I've wanted to visit for a long time.

~ Map of my travels ~

Saint-Quentin - Istanbul, Saint-Quentin - Paris - Strasbourg

Happy holidays everyone--see you in 2014!

*map from Google