Turkey Through My Lens. Istanbul And Antalya

Turkey is an European country, an Asian country, a middle eastern country, Balkan country, Black sea country, Caspian sea country-all these.Turkey is one among the top 10 tourist attraction in the world and we went to two cities in Turkey- Istanbul and Antalya.

Our first stop was Istanbul. As said by Edmondo De Amicis- “Istanbul, a universal beauty where poet and archaeologist, diplomat and merchant, princess and sailor, northerner and westerner screams with same admiration. The whole world thinks that this city is the most beautiful place on earth.” Istanbul is a city where the Asian and European continents meet across the Bosphorous River. It is a city of wonder - a fast-paced, sprawling metropolis, an exotic cultural melting-pot, and a harbor city of phenomenal beauty. No matter how much time you spend here it will never be enough, so prepare yourself for an exhilarating experience. I walked this city and looked at it through the eyes of a foreigner. It was beautiful, full of passion, mystery, magic and heavy with history. I hope you enjoy the pictures, I will do a separate post about its food and cuisine.

The grand- Blue Mosque and New Mosque

Inside Hagia Spohia

Beautiful walls- Inside Aya Spohia

The colours, the pillars- Magnificent structure inside Blue Mosque

Us posing inside Blue Mosque

Inside Grand Bazaar- the oldest bazaar in the world

Heaven for food props lovers ;)

Just a shot, inside Topkapi Palace

I loved this sparkling gold beauty

Galata Tower

Bosporus bridge that unites Asia and Europe

Shot from the cruise- The Asian side

Spice Bazaar- you will get any/all kinds of spices here

Turkish delights and tea shops

Local vendors- Selling honey and Turkish bread- Simit

Istanbul is a sheer beauty in the night!

Night life at Taksim Square

We saw this amazing Whirling Dervishes dance!

Antalya is on the long coastline along the sea which makes it apt for summer beach holidays. In 2013, Antalya became the third most visited city in the world by number of international arrivals, ranking behind Paris and London, respectively (source:wiki). If you don’t like busy city life and you wish to relax by the sea side-then you must visit Antalya. We were there for 3 days and we snorkeled, swam, read and relaxed on the sun bed. A walk on the beach just before sunset is worth thousand words (sometimes more).  I did not click even one picture here :(

One day went to Pamukkale and we chose Nirvana Tours for that. The day started early-the tour bus picked us from our hotel at 6.30 and after 5 hours drive we reached Pamukkale. It was my idea to go to Pammukale, because the pictures were stunning and the reviews on TripAdvisor were excellent. Pamukkale, means "cotton castle" in Turkish, it contains hot springs and travertine, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. I was told and informed that being there would be like being in fairyland, it would be magical but after such a long drive, and spending 55 Euros each I was disappointed. Why?? Because all the thermal pools are almost empty and the ones that have little water in them were overcrowded by the tourists. Yes there is another thermal pool called as Cleopatra pools, which has great spring water to swim but you need to pay extra. So to conclude, yes it was nice, it was something that you won’t see anywhere- but was it worth the time and money- we say No. But enjoy the pics:)

First view of the Cotton Castle

Pamukkale- thermal pools

I love him ;) Us !

Another view from Pamukkale

Hierapolis-Amphitheater, some ruins left

Again- us!

 Let me know how you find this post. Please comment :) If you are planing to go to Turkey and need  any help just shoot me an email :)