Tuesday 20 May 2014

Istanbul Diary....

Little glimpses of Istanbul from my armature eyes. My first trip abroad and definitely the best trip in my life!



At 4pm, all active and about! My first glimpses of this city.

Cats !! In abundance everywhere. They are fed gram.

A new variety of tulips.

The Blue Mosque.



At Sicli

The Sultanehmet Mosque.









Backside Topakapi palace.


Golden Horn


Ottoman warship





Bakhlawa!

Alladin ka chirag




All that glitters......






From the cruise at night

Dolmabache palace

Intrigued? 

Yes! Turkish tea.

The distances of major cities from here

The last structure of the bygone Byzantine era: The Millenium. the point from which all the distances of the empire were measured.


Turkish Lamps. Captivating my imagination every time!


Dolmabache palace sea front.




Thursday 1 May 2014

Istanbul..... my first visit

This place holds a special place in my heart because it was my first ever destination abroad! I have dreamt of visiting some other country some day and it happened a month back, after more than 20 years of waiting!
There were many "firsts" for me in this trip.

  • It was my first international trip
  • It was my first trip without any of my family members in the last ten years
  • For the first time I realised that the Sea can actually feel GOOD and what an amazing experience it is in a temperate climate!
  • My first international conference
  • First time experience with currency exchange ets etc
  • First time experience of a lot of new things to eat, to wear, to travel .....

 The beautiful city of Istanbul gave me the confidence I never had. it has infused into me a feeling of happiness. I look forward to life with a wonderful warm feeling. I find everything beautiful, that the world is beautiful, I am beautiful.
The Sultanehemet Mosque (Blue Mosque)
 It was liberating to be free of any attachments in that short period of five days. No tension of home, family, kids, work.....
Roasted Hazelnuts
 I realised that I can have a life out of home also.....sometimes. And its not bad.
A bylane in the city of IStanbul

 I realised my long cherished dream to roam the streets of some new land, with a backpack, a camera and a map in my hand :)

Naan, Turkish style
It feels good to observe the other civilisations, other people, their lives, the differences from ours, the similarity with ours!
Marmara sea side
 This trip has infused a freshness into my being that is so much welcome now. I can still fell that cold breeze throush my hair, the beautiful blue sky and sea, the beautiful green all around!
 New tastes, some I liked, some I did not. But new experiences neverthless. And I am game for it anytime again.
The Turkish Tea
 A new world, so different from ours, yet the same efforts for the daily living.
Across the Bosphorous






 And I felll in love with these......

Turkish Lamps