Istanbul, Turkey and it charms

Istanbul, a city where east meets west, or a city where one part is Europe and the other part is Asia. It was called Constantinople before until it ruled under Turkish empire. A city where many charms can be found, many colliding cultures, ans a place where a border line between east and west can be found.

I was there during early spring and unfortunately the sun didn't welcome me very well. It was very cloudy and rain poured in between. Nevertheless, it's still a bright city. Istanbul is a mix tradition city. It's showed through it mosques which resemble european architecture. The city is so big that even ten days could not finish a trip here. 

 Blue mosque (Sultan Ahmed mosque)

One of the most famous mosques in the world. The most is not really blue. It's in grey with five tall minarets. It's located at the old town of Istanbul. It's still operated as a mosque and many worshippers, from locals to tourists, come here to pray. There is a possibility to enter to for foreigners but a dress code must be respected. 

It's a biggest mosque so far in Istanbul. Around it, there is a beautiful park where many people go around to promenade. In front of it is Hagia Sophia, a former mosque and cathedral which now been transformed into a museum.  

The reason it was built is unclear but locals said that it was built to challenge the biggest cathedral of that time which is Hagia Sophia. 

 Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia, a former cathedral who was one the biggest cathedral in ancient history. Now, it's become a museum and it's just in front of the blue mosque. The minarets were built after Hagia Sophia been transformed into a mosque. 

Tokapi Palace

It's another museum near to the Blue mosque. It was a palace before for the Sultans or King of Turkish empire. Now it becomes an islamic historical museum. The museum is divided into several sections. At the middle of the sections, there is a garden. 

Ferry trip

The best way to see a panoramic view of Istanbul is by ferry ride. There are many ferry tour near to the river which separates Istanbul into two parts. The ride will take at least 45 minutes to one hour depending on the traffic and weather.  There are also ferry restaurants near to the harbor but it will be a rough ride. 

The grand Bazaar

This bazaar is a maze. It's really easy to get lost in here. So many roads, so many junctions, so many shops, so many people and so many exits. There is no map for this maze so be really careful when enter it. Here, turkish delights, souvenirs, leathers, jewelries and others can be found here. It's like a shopping maze paradise because everything is cheap and can be bargained. Never buy an item with the showed price, try to bargain and the price will become cheaper. 

Turkish Delight

Find a shop called Karaköy Güllüoglu and go there. Then ask for variety of turkish delight. Each of it has different taste. It's really sweet. 

Taksim Square

A modern city square situated at the european part of Istanbul. Many famous shops can be found here. There is also an old tram that goes from end the other end of the square. It's a best place to have a coffee break.

There are many other places in Istanbul need to be discover as the city is so big that even ten days is insufficient. The local is very friendly but sometimes it can fool us. The best way to discover Istanbul is by having a local to be a guide as most of the turkish people cannot speak english. This will make the trip smoother and enjoyable. 

Place to go in Athens, Greece

Athens, the capital city of Greece and one of the cities who has ancient history and monuments. Situated near to mediterranean sea and it's a city full of bright color. The high point of this city is at Acropolis, situated at the center of Athens. 

Hotels in Athens are kind of cheap, they will welcome you with a reasonable price and give you a wonderful stay. They're really kind too. When I wanted to check-in a two star hotel, they upgraded my accommodation to three star and really near to city center with the same price and a good environment. Not all part of Athens is lovely. Because of economic crisis, don't be surprised as many parts of the city are lack of beauties and many vandalism. Fortunately, the main attractions are still preserved, clean and safe. 

Acropolis

There are some places need to be discover when visiting Athens. Acropolis, one of the main athens attractions. Easy to access, take metro line 2 to Acropolis and walk a bit to the top of hill for the entrance. Many things to see here especially Panthenon, when enter it, don't be surprised by the construction as it's unavoidable. Many monuments here are in preservation and reconstruction and it will take a very long time to finish. But not all, There are some parts they untouched with crane or tools for tourists.

Acropolis is a high point in Athens and surrounded by compacted city. From that point, the sea and Pireas and mountains can be seen from here. 

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Other main athens attraction, situated near to Acropolis. Unfortunately, It closes really early so I had no chance to see it from near. This temple can be seen from Acropolis too.

Syntagma Square

A shopping district near to a Parliament house. Here many different branded shops can be found here. A place to find a good souvenirs too. There are also one shop near to Starbucks that offers to write our name in greek alphabets for free as long as the shirt price is 8 euros and above. There are also many homemade replicas such as vases, jewelries, one eye blue pendants and many more and it's really cheap. 

There are also many athens restaurants there that offer greek foods such as Gyros for example. During evening many coffee shops open and offer a good view to Acropolis, so might not want to miss this moment. 

Athens archeological museum

This museum shows many artifacts and history of Acropolis. Situated near to Acropolis and it's free to student. The top of this museum offers a great view of Acropolis and many visitors stop here to get a photo of it. And there is a coffee shop here too. 

Here is metro map of Athens

3 things to do in Santorini, Greece

Santorini is an island of Greece and one of the most touristic island. This island is actually a caldera which is an ancient collapse volcano. It has many places to visit, the most famous city in Santorini is Oia, a blue white pearl city.

There are two ways to go to this island, you can either go by ferry or by plane. Santorini has a small airport and many flights come from Athens. Going by flight is the fastest way to Santorini but many things will be missed along the road. In contrary, event though ferry is a slow transport to Santorini and it takes 9 hours to go there, but it's the most interesting transport because the ferry will pass many islands with good sceneries, especially during sunny day. It will make several stops to some islands before heading to Santorini and seeing these islands from the ferry is spectacular. 

While in Santorini, there are many things can be done, but I suggest to do this based on my experience.

Rent a car

Santorini has few public transportations but going by car will be the best option. The island is so small that driving a car from one place to the other is easier anytime. There are very few public transport during the night, so there will no much options to do unless you have a car. To rent a car in Santorini is easy and the rental company is really friendly, it can send the car to the port or to the airport upon your arrival and it's really cheap. The only thing to do is to familiarize with the road, that's all. Santorini is really mountainous, so drive carefully.

Visit Oia

Oia is a one of the beautiful cities in Santorini. It's constructed near to a steep cliff. Many tourists come here for one reason, the sunset. Apart from that, the city is a nice place to make a promenade. There are many restaurants, jewelry stores and souvenir shops here. It's best to go here anytime. During the day, the city shines in pure white with the roof in blue sky colored. The wind blows gently in this city, but sometimes it can become really rough. During the night, the city become so romantic with light shines in gold yellow color in every street corner. There is a possibility to see other cities glooming in the dark from Oia.

Visit Santorini volcano
At the heart of Santorini there is a death volcano. It becomes a tourist attraction and it can be visited  with a tour guide. There is also a hot spring there. Many hotels in Fira provide a package to visit this volcano. There is also diner in a cruise after the volcano visit but it will be a supplement.

Beaches
There are many beaches in Santorini. Two are very well known by locals: Perissa beach and Kamari beach. These two beaches have black sands. The beaches are very long but very fun to do a promenade. There are many restaurants along the beach which provide seafood.

All my other photos can be seen in my flickr album.