Istanbul turkey was quite overwhelming. It is large city and stretches quite widely. Istanbul actually has two sides, one half that is considered Asian and the other half European. Out of all the cities in Turkey, I am told that Istanbul is the most westernized and prices parallel those seen in Europe. I hopped on a bus to the Sultanahmet, which has all the famous sights of Istanbul.
I meet up with Matt and Ennes, two Australians also arriving in Istanbul and heading to Sultanahmet area. The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia are directly across from one another. I walk in between them to get to the Antique Hostel in Istanbul. This hostel is directly to the side of the Blue Mosque and has a balcony area that overlooks water. Matt and Ennes are staying at another hostel next to mine. After checking in I meet up with Matt and Ennes to grab some Brunch.
The first day I ended up hanging out with some of the other people at my hostel. We all headed out to the new area of Istanbul to check out some local spots. There is a local gathering area setup with giant bean bags and tables. The place is filled with groups of people chilling out and smoking water pipe.
All the people that I ended up meeting the first night all left the following day. So I was left to explore Istanbul by myself. While walking around the city, I randomly ran into a person from the hostel and we both decided to go visit the two mosques. The Blue Mosque is free to enter. You must take off your shoes and enter the correct tourist entrance.
The Hagia Sophia cost considerably more to enter, but there is more to see. This mosque is multi level unlike the swift walk through of the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia use to be a patriarchal basilica full of mosaic artwork. When this basilica became a mosque, the tiles were plastered over and then painted over. Today the Hagia Sophia is a museum and some of the plaster has been removed to reveal the intricate mosaic tiles. The Hagia Sophia is still behind held up in the center by a huge scaffold.
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