Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and the fifth largest city in the world with a population of 12.8 million.  Istanbul is a megacity, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial centre of Turkey.  The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province.  It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country.  It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.  Now, let’s move on to some additional perspective of the personal variety.   

Let me come right out and say it:  I loved Istanbul!  The city’s charms instantly captured my heart – even the irritating ones, like the overzealous street vendors and the psychotic drivers who weave their way through tourists and locals alike.  The historical relevance of the country, as you might expect is, extraordinary.  Take, for instance, the fact that this, in its incarnation as Constantinople, is where the “Roman Empire” persisted after the fall of Rome in the Fourth Century for nearly a millennium as the Byzantine Empire.  Oh, and welcome to Ottoman rule for the next 600 plus years. 

How about the architecture, you ask?  Well, the best way I can think to describe the city is that it’s a cultural melting pot of epic proportions.  It’s not everywhere you see a Muslim mosque that evolved from one of the greatest basilicas in Christendom.  Crazy, right?  Hagia Sophia is nothing short of spectacular.  After spending two minutes in that ginormous spectacle of architectural brilliance, I was struck with one profound thought:  It must have taken a megalomaniac of the highest caliber to bring that sanctimonious wet dream to fruition.  Thanks, Justinian!  We marvel at your pomposity even to this day.  In a good way, of course. 

And how about that Blue Mosque, huh?  Both Kathleen and I offered up a collective sigh of awe as we viewed the iconic minaret skyline from our oh-so touristy Bosphorus cruise.  I can only imagine what passengers felt seeing it for the first time as they entered the Golden Horn back in the early 1600s.  I’m sure those who didn’t believe in Allah prior to their visit quickly reconsidered the matter after experiencing an edifice that was built for the sole creator of the universe Himself.  Wouldn’t you? 

And how about those Turks and their engineering prowess?  The Basilica Cistern is a cathedral-sized underground chamber that was used to store Istanbul’s water supply in the city center.  Pretty creative for the 6th century, if you ask me.  I imagine the cistern was nothing special to gawk at back in its day.  But it’s a very different story today.  Supporting columns are lit up with sexy mood lights to demonstrate its depth and scale—not to mention offer tourists a very unique viewing experience. 

Our gastronomical exposure was limited, but there’s nothing new there—we’re not foodies.  With that said, we did try a few delectable torpedoes of love…aka:  Kebabs neatly packaged in a wrap of cornflower goodness.  But…what stole the show for me was the Lahmacun or Turkish pizza.  Totally different from traditional pizza, yet delivers an eerily similar end result—happiness. 

Witnessing the occasional corporate entities such as Starbucks or Burger King really turned me off a few times, as it just felt too familiar, too much like home, and exactly what I wasn’t looking for in our journey.  But I was quickly reminded by the beautiful calls to prayer five times a day, the wonderful aroma of the spice market, and the aggressive haggling by vendors in the Grand Bazaar that I really was in another world, one comprised of amazingly kind people, individuals who are devout in their beliefs, yet tolerant and moderate in their views.  Turkey is a remarkably special place.  If you’re asking yourself whether you should add it to your bucket list or not, you’re asking the wrong question.  The real question you should be asking yourself is why haven’t you gone there yet. 

Our Top 10 favorites in Istanbul:

1.  Hagia Sophia
2.  Blue Mosque
3.  Spice Market
4.  Grand Bazaar
5.  Istanbul Archeological Museum – Insanely impressive
6.  New District – Istiklal Street
7.  Bosphorus Cruise
8.  Galata Bridge
9.  Topkapi Palace
10. Hippodrome

Our Top 10 favorites on our two day voyage outside of Istanbul:

1.  Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) – My favorite part of our trip.  Easily the most unique location I’ve ever seen.
2.  Ancient City of Ephesus – Easily Kathleen’s favorite part of the trip after Hagia Sophia. 
3.  Our amazing tour guide:  Mustafa Kemal Topcu.  Thank you for all the great perspective!  Hope you enjoyed our company over the two days we spent together as much as we did. 
4.  Ancient City of Hierapolis
5.  Kusadasi
6.  House of the Virgin Mary
7.  St. John’s Basilica
8.  Archaeology Museum
9.  Turkish Coffee & Baklava
10.  Beautiful stray cats everywhere you look – easily Kathleen’s second favorite part of the trip, after Ephesus and Hagia Sophia.

For the first time ever, I attempted to create a video montage of our vacation.  I think it captured the essence of our vacation pretty well.  Turn up the volume when you watch it!

 Also, our complete photogallery from our trip: