Istanbul / Jordan Trip – Day 1

So I have some excuse for not posting in a while. In the early part of April, I went on a trip to Istanbul and then to Jordan. My younger sister has been living in Jordan for a little while, so the primary goal was to see her and sight-see with her. My friend Jen also came with us.

I thought about doing a great write-up about all we did and saw, but it seemed too daunting of a prospect. So instead, I thought I’d do some posts with photos and some captions and leave it at that.

We arrived in Istanbul on a Friday evening, got a meal and then settled into our hostel in Kadikoy, which is an Istanbul suburb on the Asian side of Istanbul. Being on that side of the Bosphorus happily meant taking a 20-minute ferry ride over to the European side each day, as that is where most of the major sights are located.

On our first day, we followed one of the walks described in the most recent edition of Rick Steves’ Istanbul. First major stop: the famous Grand Bazaar.

I didn’t buy anything there, but it was fun to roam about and see what was there.

After a bite of lunch, we next went to the Süleymaniye Mosque, which would turn out to be one of our favorite places of the trip. It’s a huge mosque, very elegant and serene inside.

Then we returned to the market scene, heading down the shop-lined streets to the Spice Market, where I bought a box of lovely Turkish delights. (When I was in middle school, I had a Turkish delight – probably rosewater flavored – and thought it was awful. I clearly was having the wrong kind. It is only now that I better understand Edmund’s temptation in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe).

We backtracked a little to see the Rüstem Paşa mosque, which is lined with beautiful Iznik tiles.

The day was capped off with a journey across the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge into the New District.

On the ferry ride back to Kadikoy, we enjoyed the illuminated skyline of Istanbul.