{"id":483,"date":"2024-10-16T19:31:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T19:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arnobrok.com\/blog\/worldtrip\/?p=483"},"modified":"2024-10-16T19:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T19:36:38","slug":"istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arnobrok.com\/blog\/worldtrip\/2024\/10\/16\/istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Monday 14 Oct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We took the bus from Hamilton to the Toronto airport, put Jen in a wheelchair and we were through security and customs in no time. This booth on Jen’s foot has proven to be useful again. After a very relaxed 10 hour flight, where both Jen and Arno had a good sleep, we arrived around 4 PM at Istanbul International Airport. We have seen some big airports in our travel, but this one is up there. Luckly Arno was able to score another wheelchair for Jen and we zoomed through all controls quickly to get our suitcases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jen had booked a pickup from the airport and after a good hour, with lots of crazy traffic, we arrived at our hotel. What we didn’t know was that the driver had called the hotel owner to tell him that Jen was wearing a boot and had a bit limited mobility. When we arrived the hotel manager was waiting for us outside and told us that he moved us to a more suitable suite. We now have a 2 bedroom suite that comes with its own Turkish bath. Not a bad start for Istanbul, he also recommended a place for dinner and helped us plan our next two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After dinner we went for a walk, the hotel is literally a few minutes walking distance from the Blue Mosque and it was a beautiful evening. We walked over the bazaar and were amazed by all the herbs, flowers and other ingredients they sold to make tea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tuesday 15 Oct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Time to explore Istanbul, our hotel manager provided us with a public transport card that we can easily top-up and use across the city. We took the metro to the funicular that brought us to Taksim square home to the Republic Monument and the start of Istiklal Caddesi (main car free shopping street). We took strategic positions so we could take some pictures from the city, we didn’t realise that this funicular was underground \ud83e\udee2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also where we visited our first mosque; Taksim Mosque. Not that impressive but still worth the visit. Arno walked to the Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church while Jen gave her foot a rest.<\/p>\n\n\n

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From here we walked down the Istiklal Caddesi. This is the city\u2019s main pedestrian boulevard, which is lined with 19th-century buildings housing international shopping chains, movie theatres, and cafes. The dense network of side streets is filled with bars, antiques shops, and rooftop eateries with Bosphorus views. It also has a small tram that goes up and down the boulevard. And it was very busy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

We admired the shows that the icecream sellers put on. It is so funny but hard to explain, beter to watch the video that Jen took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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