Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Istanbul. Show all posts

Turkey Travel: Crossing Bosphorus Bridge from Istanbul

Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges along Bosphorus Strait which connects Europe's and Asia's of Turkey. Since we are going to cross over it very soon, our tour guide pre-empt us to prepare our camera and click the shutter when he signalled us. Haha, he's been doing this business for so many years, he knows the best spot to take the picture of Bosphorus Bridge from inside the tour bus. XD

We were crossing the bridge when we are on the way to the ferry terminal which will bring us to see the Grand Mosque of Bursa. The houses in the each side of the bridge are built on an elevated ground and hence, this is how the houses look like from the top o the bridge. Quite nice to see.

Another shot of the houses with Bosphorus Strait as the background. I wonder if this is the hotspot for property in Turkey. I mean it will be cool when your friend ask you "where do you stay?" and you answer "Oh, just along Bosphorus Strait." Ain't that cool? #beingsilly

Find great deals for hotel stay at Istanbul here.

Turkey Travel: The Beautiful Inside of Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul

Hagia Sophia was used as a church for 916 years before it was converted into the mosque following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed. Then on, it was used as a mosque for 482 years. Hagia Sophia was then converted into a museum in 1935.

Inside Hagia Sophia Museum Istanbul Turkey

As the building was used as both a church and a mosque, you can see the religious symbol from both Christianity and Islam in the building. For instance, the wall inscription of Islam calligraphy and the wall paint of cherubim.

Islam and Christianity influence on Hagia Sophia Museum Turkey

The upper portion of the museum, on which there are two cherubs painted on the wall.

The upper portion of Hagia Sophia Museum Turkey Istanbul

The dome of Hagia Sophia is guarded by 4 cherubs on each corner. There are small windows alongside the dome for lights and air to come in the museum.

The dome of Hagia Sophia Museum Istanbul Turkey

On a closer look, there is a painting of Mother Mary and Baby Jesus on the wall next to the Islam calligraphy.

A painting of Mother Mary and Jesus at Hagia Sophia Museum Turkey

If you would like to buy souvenir from Hagia Sophia (e.g. keychains or postcards), you can visit the official souvenir store just opposite the exit of Hagia Sophia Museum.

Hagia Museum opens for visit everyday from 9.00 to 17.00 on winter days and 9.00 to 19.00 on summer days (final entry on 18.00). To see the outsides of Hagia Sophia Museum, please read my other post here.

Turkey Travel: Entering Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul

Hagia Sophia Museum is one of most beautiful museum in the world. And since there is no way to capture its beauty with only my camera, so I have to borrow this picture from Google image.

The entrance to the museum is located on the left side of the building.

Entrance to Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul Turkey

The ticket to Hagia Sophia costs 30TL.

Hagia Sophia Museum Entry Ticket Istanbul Turkey

The left side was undergoing a bit of a renovation back then. I suppose a lot of maintenance work is required to ensure that the museum is well kept.

The left side of Hagia Sophia Museum at Istanbul Turkey

There is a small yard near the entrance.

The yard of Hagia Sophia Museum Istanbul Turkey

For the insides of Hagia Sophia Museum, please see my other post here.

Turkey Travel: Blue Sky Blue Mosque at Istanbul

Second day of the trip and we are going to visit the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul. On the way to the Blue Mosque, we saw an obelisk. It's called Obelisk of Theodosius. For a moment, I thought we have teleported to Egypt. Hehe.

The obelisk is located near to another historical spot in Istanbul, the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople. The entrance to the Blue Mosque is located just opposite the hippodrome.

Hippodrome of Constantinople Turkey Istanbul

As there is a quota of how many people can enter the Blue Mosque, we have to wait for a while for our turn in the courtyard. Do note that there are certain rules that you must follow before you can enter Blue Mosque. For a start, you have to take off your shoes and put them inside a plastic bag (provided for free at the entrance). Another thing, women must wear head covering inside the mosque (not hat, more like fabric or shawl).

The mosque has a lot of windows and they look so pretty when the sunlight shines on them. The tour guide told us that most of these colored windows have been replaced with newer and more modern versions and not the original ones.

The roof and the walls are made from handmade ceramic tiles. Awesome, right?

Blue Mosque Roof Ceramic Design Turkey Istanbul

Blue Mosque is located just opposite the Hagia Sophia Museum. So you should visit these two historical places of Istanbul at one go to save time.

Turkey Hotel review: Ramada Istanbul Old City, Turkey

After our hearty dinner at Buhara 93, we rode our bus to the hotel to spend the night. Our hotel is called Ramada Istanbul Old City. For reviews for Ramada Istanbul Old City, you can visit the link here.

This is how the room with twin bed looks like. I'm sharing this room with my bro.

The breakfast is served on top of the hotel. The best part is you can go out to the balcony and see the bustling view of Istanbul in the morning.

There's a metro in Istanbul. Sadly, I had no chance of riding it.

The neighbourhood surrounding the hotel. Looks pretty cool I think. My cousins are busy taking pictures of themselves with the Turkish flag after my shot. ^^

You can check up the Tripadvisor link here to get more details on the hotel price and location if you are interested.