The Journey of a Thousand Miles

Having visited this city twice, it is impossible not to fall in love with this magical city! Lies between two continents, where east meets west, to me, Istanbul is one of the world's culturally interesting city. It's the fascinating mix of cultures that makes this city irresistible,  the arts and architecture; the local life; culinary heritage and the living history that are rolled into one.  Istanbul is one of the best cities in the world where you can enjoy exploring if it is just for one day. And going around the city doesn't necessarily requires you to spend much for you to have a pleasant time. If you plan to stay in Istanbul for a day or two, consider finding an accommodation around Sultanahmet, it is here where most of the important landmarks are located. It is the cultural area of Istanbul where historical landmarks are just walking distance from each other.  So here are some of the attractions where you can spend a day visiting them without...

In just half day, I was able to visit a lot of places already as I told before once you are in Sultanahmet area, the tourist spots are just close to each other. As I continued my exploration, I went to Topkapi Palace since it is just beside Hagia Sofia. So if you have ample time in the day, you can go directly here but pay attention to its closing time. Topkapi Palace- It is like Intramuros in the Philippines, a city within a city; Topkapi Palace was a former main residence of the sultan and his court. It was initially the seat of government and a residence as well. The palace is located on a hill and on the backside it will give you the panoramic view of the Bosphorus. Lots of shady trees inside the palace and the courtyard is very wide where you can sit on the grass and read books under the trees if you just want to spend the day without touring the whole palace. There are a lot of things to see inside the palace and one of them is the Ha...

Istanbul was named as best destination by Trip Advisor in 2013, truly this city has a lot of things to offer. There are so many things to visit and discover as you started walking on the streets. I booked my hotel along Sultanahmet area, because this part of Istanbul is where all the major tourist attractions are located. They are just walking distance from each other and you can spend all your day hopping from one place to another. Actually you can spend your days in Istanbul without spending too much because there are many places there where you can visit them for free! From my hotel, the most iconic structure of Istanbul is just 200 meters away, so it is really convenient because you don’t need a taxi to reach this place. As soon as I put my things on my room, I did not waste any single minute to explore the place. I quickly went out of the hotel and started discovering the city and find out what it has to offer. Make sure to put your comfortable shoes as you will...

  And then finally the most awaited part of my vacation came, the long wait is over and I cannot contain my excitement as the day of my trip approaches. I have been waiting this for long and now the journey of my thousand miles begins. From Bahrain, I have to travel four hours by Turkish airlines to Istanbul Ataturk Airport. I had a very long day in Bahrain with 7 hours layover from the Philippines. I didn't get enough sleep at the airport because of excitement. It was a turbulent journey because of the weather condition, I was even quite nervous because I am not used to fly on a shaky plane and I even have this paranoia that we might disappear on thick clouds reminding me of what happened to MH370. Thanks to God that even the whole travel is not quite smooth, still we arrived very safe, and when the plane touches the runway all my worries disappeared and almost jumped to my seat in excitement. Finally Merhaba Turkiye! It was a cloudy day when I arrived the...