Istanbul!

I stayed over the night before in Milan because my flight left from Malpensa. Milan is a really beautiful city. The Piazza del Duomo is particularly beautiful. The duomo in Milan is the third largest in the world and it was definitely stunning to see. I went inside on Friday morning before going to the airport. It feels massive inside with thick stone columns and archways. 

I ended up getting stuck in Milan when I got back from Istanbul so I got to go on the roof of the duomo on Monday morning before going back to Florence. The view of the city and the Alps is dazzling and I am glad that I got to do that.

So I got to Istanbul around 6 on Friday and got a Turkish visa and cool stamps in my passport! The flight was nice and short and I met two nice Italian women from Milan. One of them was a journalist and the other was a photographer. We were talking about our favorite cities in Italy and around Europe. I spoke to the flight attendant in Italian when I ordered my drink and dolce and they giggled so I asked them if my Italian was bad and Anna, the photographer, said that she could understand me. That made me happy. Anna gave me her e-mail address and said that I should tell her if I come back to Milan. I love meeting people on flights.

I met Josh and Jess in Ataturk Airport outside the passport control station. It was so nice to see them and we ended up getting a free shuttle to our hotel, Star Holiday Hotel. The hotel was in a perfect location. It was on a busy street that was so close to both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. That night we went to dinner where we sat on a rooftop which overlooked the Blue Mosque. I can safely say that the Blue Mosque is the most stunning thing I have ever seen. The entire city of Istanbul was so different and interesting. I wish I had more time there but we were very productive in our weekend there. One interesting thing I noticed about Istanbul is that the prayer leaders announce the prayers over speakers to the city, letting the people know that it is time to pray. They pray five times per day toward Mecca as part of the pillars of Islam. The prayers woke Josh up but Jess and I slept through it.

The next morning we woke up early and took a boat ride up and down the Bosporus! It was so incredible. I was between the Asian and the European continents which was very cool. We also went to the Egyptian Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. Everything was so incredibly beautiful and colorful and the Turkish people were so kind to us. I had read/heard that women should not smile or make eye contact with men in Istanbul but I did not find this to be true. I had no problem interacting with the Turkish people. It was also great to have a venti nonfat caramel macchiato- they have Starbucks in Turkey lol.

Josh and Jess both got beautiful hand-made Turkish lamps to take home. I thought that this was a great idea because they are great representations of Turkey. They are beautiful and bright and those particular lamps could be found all over in the markets that we went to so I am glad that they got them. I got myself and Alli ceramic bowls to put jewelry in because they were...well...smaller than a lamp and still pretty.

I hope that I can go back to Istanbul one day and bring home a huge lamp. 

We also went and visited the underground cisterns which were beautiful and fascinating. 

My favorite thing by far was visiting the Blue Mosque. That was the single most miraculous structure I have seen. We took off our shoes and went inside and honestly, pictures cannot possible do it justice. I was glad that it was the first mosque I have ever been in because I can't imagine one more stunning.

Our next stop was the Hagia Sophia, which my ninth grade global history teacher once told me, "If you ever have the opportunity to see it, you must." She was right. I have to say that I was much more impressed with the Blue Mosque, but I do understand the importance of the Hagia Sophia. It was very great to see that for historical reasons. We had a nice dinner and went to sleep early.

The next day we went to Topkapi Palace which was beautiful and I got to learn a lot about the sultans and the people around them such as their wives, children and servants. It was so cool to think about sultans walking through the halls that we were walking through.

Overall the trip was amazing, I feel so incredibly lucky to have gone to Istanbul and it was so great to experience it with Josh and Jess.  It is a trip that I will never forget.