The holiday

Our long awaited family holiday was finally materialised by this impromptu trip to Istanbul. The last twelve months had been quite a roller-coaster, physically and emotionally, and the three of us looked forward to this break. We had been dreaming for this for quite some time but never had the chance to make it happen.

Upon our arrival, the Partner took us to a place where he used to hang out during his early career life. I was bold enough to try their lamb stomach soup which was surprisingly ok for my taste bud, not that I knew much difference as I was under the weather and any soup would have made the cut. While I was nursing myself, the young lady was busy updating the Partner of her recent obsession until I reminded her that it was way past midnight and she had plenty of time to train her Papa to be well-versed in her ‘toy world’.

As the following day was Sunday, we decided to avoid tourist activities and headed to his alma mater, a beautiful university located on top of the hill facing the Bosphorus. The young lady said it was a cat haven as there were too many on campus and not only were they adorable, they were friendly as well. One even tried to jump on her chest to get a hug. From there we walked downhill to the jetty and bought a local pretzel to feed the seagulls. The young lady got so excited that she lost her favourite glove which was swept into the sea. Her sadness was cured by the divine cuisine which we had for lunch; different meat dishes and chicken liver rice. The pilav was simply delicious that I requested for another portion. We then spent the evening taking ferry rides crossing the continents.

Inside Aya Sophia

From Monday onwards we did the usual stuffs; Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Archaeology Museum. Other hidden gems included Koc Museum and MiniaTurk which were great for kids. MiniaTurk covers historical sites and artefacts in the country and there are many places which I’d like to see. I told the Partner that every year we must visit different parts of Turkey. The young lady had an awesome time at the playground which had kids’ version of castle complete with slides. At Koc Museum, we had tea in a ship docked next to the jetty. Me being afraid of heights, skipped the climb to board an old plane. Not only it was high, the plane was tilted! Oh, they also had a car which resembled the one used by Weasley family in Harry Potter movie.
Medusa head

One of the things the Partner and I enjoyed the most was the Bosphorus tour. The trip took 1 ½ hours, cruising along the straits with lovely (and pricey) houses on sight. We alighted from the ship at a small town and from there we took the mini bus to head back to the city. The vehicle is just slightly bigger than a regular van and most local folks rely on this mean of transportation. The young lady’s favourite time of the day was when we watched people fishing by the bridges while enjoying the sunset. One guy was lucky enough to have caught two fishes in a throw.

Inside Blue Mosque

We usually started our days with heavy brunch which consisted of sucuk (Turkish sausage) with omelette or fried eggs, borek and few other pastries, olive, tomatoes, cheese and honey. That kept us going until 3-4pm or when our legs couldn’t walk much longer and we’d head for lunch. Its cuisine seemed to know how to please our tummy and the young lady was probably eating more than me! One should try off-the-boat fish sandwich which can be found on the Asian side of Istanbul. Simple yet mouth-watering.

Suffice to say that we had an awesome time in Istanbul. Gorgeous weather, delicious food, warm and friendly people. Despite its crazy traffic, hilly and narrow roads which at times were even worse than taking a roller coaster, the city touched our hearts in many ways in its true form and nature.