Discovering Turkey in 10 days : Istanbul

Hi there ! I hope its not too late, and its only been about 2-3 months since I went backpacking with my sister in Turkey, but here it goes, discovering Turkey in 10 days ! (And if you're interested to know a bit of how Turkey was conquered from previously being known as Constantinople, do try to watch the movie Fetih 1453 ;a really good movie that's also available on YouTube)

Oh, before I forget, I couldn't write this post whilst I was travelling since I was interrogated for being a potential part of ISIS two times while I was travelling. Was playing safe on not writing much during the trip.

Day 1
Anyways, we arrived at the airport and took the train to central (Note that the train might not be as spacious for people travelling with huge luggage). Checked in our accommodation and went for our first meal, as expected, it was Kebab ! Haha.

We didn't do much on the first day. We walked around nearby places and discovered that Galata Tower was only about 10-15 minutes walk from our accommodation ! There were lots of people chilling there and basking, but the queue to go up Galata Tower was a bit too long so me and my sister decided to just chill at a nearby cafe for some Turkish Coffee. 

Well, technically, I was the one who enjoyed the coffee. My sister probably enjoyed sleeping more hehe. 

We walked a bit more to check out Iktilal Street (aka Independence Avenue) to find out there was so many people in one street ! Apparently, it can reach up to 3 million people along the street over the weekends, like whoaaaaa .

There were kids basking by the street, who were pretty awesome at the instruments they play

We came across a shop named 'Patatos' selling really good Kumpir ! Kumpir is sort of like mashed potato in thick cheese served with mushrooms, salads, beans or anything you'd like, and seriously sedap gila (translated: deliciousssss !). 

Day 2
Yes, it's the day we do all those touristy things !
And I've sort of arranged the places we visited according to my personal favourite, which was definitely starting with Haghia Sophia. I just love the history behind this place. How this place played an important role on Turkey's ruling.

1. Haghia Sophia

2. Topkapi Palace

3. White Mosque / Beyazit Mosque 

4. Suleymaniye Mosque

We used public transports throughout since Taxi Drivers here are known for charging tourists with higher prices. And the public transportation was quite cheap ! Just be careful of your belongings, and don't walk into dodgy areas. Don't try to help people who suddenly drop their things while walking cause they might be tricking you into pick pocketing you. Easy to say, just be really aware of your surroundings :)

Day 3 

And we discovered Bosphorus River on our 3rd day in beautiful Istanbul !

We tried out the most delicious and fresh Fish Sandwich ever / Balik Ekmek ! You can get them at the fish markets near the bridges in Istanbul, it was definitely worth it ! I didn't even have to add any sauce to make it taste better. 

Took the Taxi Boat instead of the Bosphorus Tour to discover the European Side of Turkey since the Tour was waaaay expensive. It was definitely way cheaper and the view from the boat, was priceless :)

We didn't do much on our 3rd day since we had to leave to the bus station for our trip to Cappadocia, stay tuned !