Day 7 (1st Nov) : Amazing Turkey !

Day 7 - Bolu & Istanbul

Early morning after breakfast, busy with photo snapping outside of Koru Hotel in Bolu. Such a very beautiful place. Bolu is famous for its dense forest, fauna and modern hot spring facilities. Bolu is also one of the most enchanting areas of Turkey located approximately half-way between Istanbul and Ankara. You may enjoy four seasons at once in Bolu.

breakfast at hotel

we really enjoy the fruits here

view outside of the hotel

so excited ....really impressed with the scenery

like it...

fauna in Bolu

morning in Bolu

nice view

autumn in Bolu

Bolu, destination where most of Turkish from Istanbul spent their weekends.

dedaun dah mula berguguran

Then, we continued with our next destination to Istanbul. We will be staying at Istanbul for two nights before we headed back to Kuala Lumpur. Along the journey, can see dense forest and fauna. Its very beautiful. I was told by the tourist guide that this place is a famous destination amongst Turkish from Istanbul to spent their weekends. Its approximately 2 hours journey to arrive this place from Istanbul.

the forest.....

kampung houses........

kampung houses ..... along journey to Istanbul

stopped for tea break......with Atilla Mahir

break..... lepak area

Atilla, our tourist guide.......

Adem, our coach driver.....

About Istanbul

1. A capital of Turkey

2. Population - 20 million

3. The largest city in Europe

4. Asian side and European side separately by Boshphorus Straits

5. Istanbul City - the heart of modern Istanbul (Taksim Square) and old town (Sultanhamed)

6. Muslim - 99%

The Asian side of Istanbul - by Boshphorus Strait

The European side of Istanbul - by Boshphorus Strait

Welcome to Europe

Now, we're in Europe side of Istanbul, one of the world's great crossroads. Istanbul is massive. It's the largest city in Europe, even if you exclude the population that lives on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Straits. The country of Turkey is 99% Muslim, so there are mosques all over the city. Istanbul is a big city which divided by two different area, a modern city (Taksim Aquare) and the historic old town (Sultanhamed).

Traffic jam in Istanbul

housing area in Istanbul - European side

shop lot area in Istanbul

the bus

the town

Then, we headed to the historic old town. Spent about two hours at Leather Center, Ottimo. They're presenting a fashion show on leather appearal. Wow! such a nice leather jacket with a good quality. But, i can't afford to buy it. Most of our group member were so eager to have it at least for one piece of leather jacket. Do you know how much of it? Hmmm...more than RM1K.

the place.....leather center

fashion show

nice jacket....

from left : Atilla, Sha and me

hahaha...nyibuk kan!!!!

pilih....pilih...

wow......nice one...

i like this jacket..... do you know how much???????

It is RM5,000......... hmmmmm

after the fashion show.......with the models

A Turkish Gypsy is selling t-shirts

Kebab for our lunch.......

our lunch meal.....

lunch time

the restaurant

one of historic monument

sourvenir

buah delima....besarnya

Egypt Monument

Blue Mosque

Any tour of Turkey is incomplete without a visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The Mosque is a marvelous piece of architecture that is sure to leave you spellbound by its splendor and sheer elegance. The Blue Mosque was built at the behest of Sultan Ahmed I - a very religious minded king who became a monarch at the very young age of fourteen. In his religious fervor, he decided to construct a mosque to surpass the Ayasofya in its glory. He selected the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium for construction. This lies on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome and is a stone's throw away from the Ayasofya. He entrusted this challenging work to the poet architect Sedefkar Mehmet Ada. Mehmet Ada began his work in 1609 and it took him six long years to complete it. This great work was finally completed in 1617.

outside of the mosque

the entrance

inside of the mosque

the architecture

nice architechture......inside the mosque

the blue mosque.....

You can visit the Blue Mosque at any time of the day except for half hour of prayer time five times a day. On Friday, the Muslim holy day, the prayers are longer and the Mosque may remain closed for a longer time. There is no entry fee. The visitors generally enter from the north door while the west door is reserved for the Muslim worshippers.

proof that i was here

Turkish Delights

Turkish Delight or lokum is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater and lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with icing sugar or copra to prevent sticking. Some types contain small nut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts. Other common types include flavors such as cinnamon or mint.

Turkish Delight

variety of Turkish Delights

Turkish Delights Corner.....

photo session

Sultanhamed town

Grand Bazaar

The most famous place for shopping in Turkey is the Grand Covered Bazaar of Istanbul. It was built by Sultan Mehmet and has undergone many changes until 1701. It is worth visiting the Grand Bazaar just for the experience it provides. It covers 65 streets with around 3300 shops. A mosque, 21 inns and 7 fountains also fall within its area. The Grand Bazaar has been damaged five times by fire. Each time it was repaired and restored. It has areas for leather, carpets, jewellery, ceramics, glass and many other small and interesting stores. It's a real heaven for shoppers and a good opportunity for people to discover the Turkish hospitality

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

From left : Siti, Liz, Dr Siti and Sha

Grand Bazaar

Pashminas...

Pottery

I bought a traditional table cloth from this Turkish guy...at 100 Lira

Spice Bazaar

Your shopping tour must definitely include the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. Much smaller than the Grand Bazaar, and less touristic too, the Spice Bazaar was built in 1660 to help support the upkeep of the mosque. The Grand Bazaar is known for its colors and noises,but the Spice Bazaar is a lesson in smells and tastes. Here is where you can find all manner of Turkish Delight candy (lokum), baklava, teas and Turkish coffee, and dried fruits. The array of containers overflowing with colorful spices is really something to see, as well as smell. This is also the best place to buy toiletries like the big cakes of olive oil soap displayed at many shops. Like the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar is surrounded by vendors of clothing, school supplies, and most everything else. In fact, you could easily make your way from one bazaar to the other, and not stray from the outdoor markets.

on the right side....Spice Bazaar

Spice Bazaar

me and sha at Spice Bazaar

pelbagai rempah-ratus

Turkish Delights at Spice Bazaar