Destination Istanbul Turkey

Istanbul is as remarkably beautiful as it is distinct and actually lies on two continents, the western part being in Europe and the eastern part in Asia. Imagine being in Europe one moment and then crossing a bridge and being in Asia the next moment, how cool is that? The people are a unique blend of different cultures come together and are amongst some of the friendliest I have ever encountered in my travels.Istanbul has many extraordinary places to see and one of my personal favorites is the underground Yerebatan Cistern. The cistern was used as a backup water source thousands of years ago during droughts or when the city was under siege. The cistern is capable of holding 2,800.00 cu.ft. of water and the ceiling is supported with 336 marble columns. In 1987, the municipality cleaned it up, put in wooden walkways and opened it up to the public. It is truly something you do not want to miss seeing.
Istanbul has more that its share of beautiful mosques and most of them are open to tourists. The most famous one is the Blue Mosque. The inside is decorated with 20,000 blue and green hand painted Iznik tiles, has 260 stained glass windows and has six minarets, most mosques normally have two or four. It is located opposite the Hagia Sophia, which was built as a church that later became a mosque and now is a museum. It is said that Sultan Ahmet commissioned the building of the Blue Mosque to rival the beauty of Hagia Sophia, but when it comes to beauty, they both warrant a visit because each is just as magnificent as the other is.
One of the most popular sites to visit in Istanbul is the Topkapi Palace. The complex is immense with its maze of buildings that center around four courtyards. Each building contains different types of treasures. The old kitchen contains a priceless collection of Chinese porcelain as well as ancient kitchen utensils.
The treasury has an exquisite collection of jewels, many of which decorate daggars, chain mail and golden thrones. One of the most amazing gems on display there is the 86-karat Spoon Makers Diamond, which is the 5th largest diamond in the world.
One of the highlights of the palace is the harem but in order to see it you must sign up for a tour. It will cost you additional money but it is well worth it. With all that there is to see in the palace it will probably take you a full day of exploring to see everything so it’s a good idea to plan ahead.
While in Istanbul, shopping is a must and one of the places to shop is the Grand Bazaar. It houses over 4,000 shops where you can purchase items such as Turkish carpets, leather and suede goods, hand painted tiles, gold jewelry, pottery and much, much more. When you have decided on your purchase don’t forget to barter for the price, it is a tradition and is a business practice in Turkey.What ever you choose to see or do when you are there, once you experience the beauty of the city, the friendliness of the people, the extensiveness of its history it will be a place that you will want to go back to time and time again. Click on the link below to get a detailed list of attractions and sites to see in Istanbul.

http://istanbulturkey.ca/