The Cradle of Civilisation
Or at least a part thereof...
It had already been a few hours since we landed in Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey and we were looking around inside a souvenir shop at the perimeter of the courtyard surrounding the beautiful Blue Mosque. I came across a book titled 'Istanbul - The Cradle of Civilisation' prompting me to make a mental note that I should diary down my trip to Turkey, USA and Canada this year.
Looking back, I was really excited to explore parts of the world that I have never set foot on before. Growing up, It was ingrained within me that travelling is a luxury, not a necessity and this mindset has always made me grateful for the opportunities that I get to travel overseas. Every trip is unique and memorable and I want to capture all the feelings and experiences to the best of my abilities in as many ways possible.
My 35-hour long flight to the City of Dreams, New York was split into three aspects - The initial 11h long flight to Turkey, 13h layover in Istanbul and the final 11h flight to New York City. My first long-haul flight went better than expected to be really honest but what I didn't realise was that it's the next few days of jet-lag which would be the killer. Taking off from Changi Airport at around 12 midnight in Singapore, I fell asleep soon after watching Oceans 11 for the first time. Waking up just as we landed, I groggily walked out of the flight and after a long queue, completed the mandatory Customs Check.
That's when my mum made me realise - I left my wallet on the flight. After going around in circles for close to 2 hours, I finally managed to retrieve my wallet from the Turkish Airlines Lost & Found Office, or what they call it as the 'Katip Esya'. Thinking that I've ruined our whole transit tour of the city, I sat down with my parents for a while to catch our breath. We had already missed the free city tour for Turkish Airlines passengers and we couldn't get the free hotel room as well as there were none left.
After resting a short while, we decided that we would take the local Metro and 'Tramvay' down to Sultanahmet through Zeytinpurnu with the help of internet and some very kind locals. Alighting at Sultanahmet, we could observe a bazaar-like stretch of road with shops and restaurants either side all leading down to the distant Blue Mosque. We decided to grab lunch at a nearby restaurant called Loti. They had the most delightful turkish food which was really very tasteful and filling. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who visits the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
After lunch, we slowly walked down to the Blue Mosque and it was really beautiful inside and out. We bought some souvenirs as gifts in the souvenir shop in the courtyard as previously mentioned and wandered in towards the main area. As it was nearing the midday prayer time or more commonly known as Zuhr, we took off our shoes and jackets to take ablution/wudhu. Taking ablution there was really a shocker because the water was ice cold. I finished my ablution as fast as I could and quickly wore back my shoes and jacket to walk towards the prayer area. As the main prayer hall was being restored, we had to pray outside which was still a decent experience. The whole compound of the Blue Mosque in itself was humongous. I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere and architecture in the area.
Moving on, we walked to the outskirts of Hagia-Sophia Museum and simply viewed it from afar. There were definitely similarities in the architectural structure of the Hagia-Sophia Museum and the Blue Mosque but both buildings were majestic in their own way. My only regret is not having been able to enter the interior of the Hagia-Sophia.
That concluded my short city tour of Istanbul as we journeyed back to the airport the same way we came down. What I did note is that the locals there were really nice and helpful to us. There were a number of people who guided us on how to get around places and how to purchase the tickets. Moreover, I gave up my seat for a pregnant woman and her husband was really grateful about it which I could sense even though I didn't understand his language. Another similar incident happened when a man was calling out to an elderly to give him his seat but the elderly didn't hear him so I pointed out to the elderly that there was a seat there. The man who called out earlier on then gave me a cheeky wink and a smile which was funny and heartwarming at the same time. As a whole, I really enjoyed the 13h that I was in Istanbul and with another transit in Istanbul yet to come, I boarded my flight to NYC thinking -
It's not goodbye but see you later.
It had already been a few hours since we landed in Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey and we were looking around inside a souvenir shop at the perimeter of the courtyard surrounding the beautiful Blue Mosque. I came across a book titled 'Istanbul - The Cradle of Civilisation' prompting me to make a mental note that I should diary down my trip to Turkey, USA and Canada this year.
Looking back, I was really excited to explore parts of the world that I have never set foot on before. Growing up, It was ingrained within me that travelling is a luxury, not a necessity and this mindset has always made me grateful for the opportunities that I get to travel overseas. Every trip is unique and memorable and I want to capture all the feelings and experiences to the best of my abilities in as many ways possible.
My 35-hour long flight to the City of Dreams, New York was split into three aspects - The initial 11h long flight to Turkey, 13h layover in Istanbul and the final 11h flight to New York City. My first long-haul flight went better than expected to be really honest but what I didn't realise was that it's the next few days of jet-lag which would be the killer. Taking off from Changi Airport at around 12 midnight in Singapore, I fell asleep soon after watching Oceans 11 for the first time. Waking up just as we landed, I groggily walked out of the flight and after a long queue, completed the mandatory Customs Check.
That's when my mum made me realise - I left my wallet on the flight. After going around in circles for close to 2 hours, I finally managed to retrieve my wallet from the Turkish Airlines Lost & Found Office, or what they call it as the 'Katip Esya'. Thinking that I've ruined our whole transit tour of the city, I sat down with my parents for a while to catch our breath. We had already missed the free city tour for Turkish Airlines passengers and we couldn't get the free hotel room as well as there were none left.
After resting a short while, we decided that we would take the local Metro and 'Tramvay' down to Sultanahmet through Zeytinpurnu with the help of internet and some very kind locals. Alighting at Sultanahmet, we could observe a bazaar-like stretch of road with shops and restaurants either side all leading down to the distant Blue Mosque. We decided to grab lunch at a nearby restaurant called Loti. They had the most delightful turkish food which was really very tasteful and filling. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who visits the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
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| Metro Station at Ataturk Airport |
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| 'Tramvay' Station at Zeytinpurnu |
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| Lunch at Loti Restaurant |
After lunch, we slowly walked down to the Blue Mosque and it was really beautiful inside and out. We bought some souvenirs as gifts in the souvenir shop in the courtyard as previously mentioned and wandered in towards the main area. As it was nearing the midday prayer time or more commonly known as Zuhr, we took off our shoes and jackets to take ablution/wudhu. Taking ablution there was really a shocker because the water was ice cold. I finished my ablution as fast as I could and quickly wore back my shoes and jacket to walk towards the prayer area. As the main prayer hall was being restored, we had to pray outside which was still a decent experience. The whole compound of the Blue Mosque in itself was humongous. I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere and architecture in the area.
 |
| Blue Mosque as seen from its courtyard |
Moving on, we walked to the outskirts of Hagia-Sophia Museum and simply viewed it from afar. There were definitely similarities in the architectural structure of the Hagia-Sophia Museum and the Blue Mosque but both buildings were majestic in their own way. My only regret is not having been able to enter the interior of the Hagia-Sophia.
 |
| Hagia-Sophia Museum |
That concluded my short city tour of Istanbul as we journeyed back to the airport the same way we came down. What I did note is that the locals there were really nice and helpful to us. There were a number of people who guided us on how to get around places and how to purchase the tickets. Moreover, I gave up my seat for a pregnant woman and her husband was really grateful about it which I could sense even though I didn't understand his language. Another similar incident happened when a man was calling out to an elderly to give him his seat but the elderly didn't hear him so I pointed out to the elderly that there was a seat there. The man who called out earlier on then gave me a cheeky wink and a smile which was funny and heartwarming at the same time. As a whole, I really enjoyed the 13h that I was in Istanbul and with another transit in Istanbul yet to come, I boarded my flight to NYC thinking -
It's not goodbye but see you later.
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