After having to cancel my first flight to Istanbul because it was on the list of banned countries in my program; I finally got to visit a place that had so much influence in Europe and an empire that I so desperately wanted to learn more about. I was determined that before I was to make my way back to the states I was going to visit Istanbul.
Solo Traveling
So the crazy thing is not only was my program not allowing me to visit Istanbul but even my host mom was kind of hesitant of me going and telling me some things I would have to worry about when I was there. But knowing me being stubborn and all, I wasn’t going to let those things stop me from going. Even as I landed and had to take a bus from the Sabhia Gokcen Airport to the city; the girl that I sat next to, who was a native to that area, was shocked that I was going to be traveling alone.
But as I made my way to my hostel late that night I didn’t really feel unsafe. I walked with my luggage across the parks as the beautiful Hagia Sofia (picture above) and Blue Mosque were lit up. There were also some local people just walking around or sitting on the park benches enjoying the night. Majority of the places were lit and it wasn’t hard navigating around.
North Americans in Turkey
As I checked into my hostel I was placed in a room with the only other American-English speaking travelers. These tall, 6 foot and above, ginger hair, green eyed Canadians were paired with my small, 5 foot, brown skinned Mexican-American self. I don’t know if it was coincidence or that the hostel guy just decided to room the Americans together but I am so glad that he did lol. Now that I think about it they could’ve looked like my bodyguards in a way haha.
Hagia Sofia
The next day and their last day there in Istanbul they had a few places that they wanted me to see, the first being the Hagia Sofia. This beautiful mosque was filled with so much Islamic art and beauty. I was in awe. As you walk throughout the halls there are paintings and pictures with Arabic written all over. These flower like chandeliers dangled around the main floor as people admired the architecture and colorful glass stained windows.
After seeing the beautiful tiles and structures the Ottoman Empire had built in places I had visited like Morocco and Spain; it was mesmerizing to finally be at the source of it all. So much detail in that holy space that it makes you really appreciate their love and admiration for their culture and religion.
Sailing the Bosphorus
After the Hagia Sofia we made our way through the city, stopped for some lunch and eventually made it to the water where boats were lined up for you to sail on the Bosphorus. This long strait separates the European and Asian sides of Turkey but also lets you see the beautiful view of mosques overtop the cities. As we sailed through the Bosphorus we were offered some tea and I had to take a photo with my Arabic tattoo, which message was also motivation for me to see this city. As in a previous blog, I had the word fearless tattooed in Arabic and I definitely felt fearless solo traveling in Istanbul.
Istanbul is probably one of the biggest cities I have been to thus far being even bigger than NYC. There was so much that I didn’t even get to see in the 4 days that I was there and so much to see when you’re inside a lot of the major attractions like the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, etc. I’ll do a separate blog with the beauty inside those place as well.
After seeing the city from the water we made our way back to the main area where we were staying but also stopping to check out the Grand Bazaar and other food places along the way. I saved my souvenir buying till the last day I was there but it was so tempting to not get stuff that first day at the Grand Bazaar which was filled with so many colorful ceramics, lights, leather bags, tea holders and more.
We ended the night having dinner at a rooftop restaurant while the sun began to go down and the call to prayer filled the city. It was a great first day there and even though my new friends were going to be on to their next travels; I was so grateful that I had some people to explore with. The next few days there I had no troubles at all touring the city and getting to visit places on both sides of the Bosphorus. To this day this is one of my favorite places to talk about that I visited and I am so glad that I followed my heart despite all of the obstacles. I have no doubt that the next time I visit will be just as great and that I will be able to see more that I wasn’t able to see the first time.
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