I’ve come full circle… back in Istanbul where this amazing odyssey began. Europe’s biggest city and one of the world’s great metropolises, Istanbul is an incredible city and I’m happy to be spending some more time here. I think how ever long I am here, I’ll always be left wanting more… and that’s a good thing. It’s an exciting city… vibrant, exotic, unique… straddling two continents… an intoxicating jumble of histories, cultures, architecture and influences. Blending history and modernity in such a magical way. You feel alive here. 

We are staying in Sultanahmet where the main concentration of historic sights, shopping precincts, hotels and eateries are… all pretty much within easy walking distance. Ideally suited to exploring on foot, the neighbourhood is a showcase of the city’s glorious past, full of mosques, palaces, churches and houses dating from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. I have visited many of these sights before but I’m happy to do it again as it was many years ago. 

You can’t avoid the famed mosaic filled Aya Sophia Grand Mosque as it is not just Istanbul’s most famous monument, but it’s also the most iconic and visited! A stunning building which I saw in daylight and at night. Once a church, then a mosque, then a museum, and then, since 2020, a mosque again, Aya Sophia has surely seen a turbulent history. I did not actually visit inside as the queues are so long but perhaps I should have as the apparently stunning Christian mosaics that remain face an uncertain future with Aya Sophia having become a functioning mosque again. 

Right across from Hagia Sophia (and perhaps inspired by it), the Blue Mosque, stands proudly as a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. It’s an awe-inspiring and dominating element of the Istanbul skyline with its cascading domes and 6 slender minarets…

… and I still remember how breathtaking it was inside from when I was here 10 years ago. When you step inside, the scale is hard to comprehend and you’re treated to a shower of light filtered through around 200 stained-glass windows illuminating the intricate architectural details. Blue İznik tiles featuring gorgeous floral patterns and calligraphy, adorn the interior and give the building its unofficial but commonly used name… although it is not nearly as blue as I remembered. Funny how time can play tricks on your mind. It really is awe inspiring and it is architecture like this that inspires me to want to visit Iran. 

Our next stop… the Grand Bazaar and there’s nothing quite like it for an authentic Turkish experience! The Grand Bazaar is the world’s largest covered market, with about 60 streets and over 4,000 stores- it really is like a maze in here…

… where you can find everything from silk garments and gold jewellery…

…to souvenirs, leather goods, carpets…

… Turkish lamps…

… and Turkish delight…

…and timber embellished boxes. I’d been looking for a box for my bathroom cabinet for ages and I finally found one, beautifully inlaid with mother of pearl.

The bazaar is crowded and frantic and does feel a little bit more like a huge mall than I remembered but I still loved the experience once again including the hand-drawn paintings on the arches and the walls. Love those details that I think many people don’t even notice. 

Just a stone’s throw away, we continued onto the Spice (or Egyptian) Bazaar for a colorful array of spices and fragrances. It’s amazing, with so many exotic herbal teas and mountains of spices and soaps and I want to buy everything, although I’m not even sure if Australian customs will let them through. 

We stop for a street food lunch of  balik ekmek (grilled fish wrap) amongst the colourful nets on the waters edge not far away. Pairing charred pieces of boneless fish with lime and finished with a basting of chilli paste before serving, balik ekmek is an absolute flavour bomb- so delicious!

So… now that it’s finished, how did I find the tour and will I do another? Actually I’m still in two minds but can certainly see the positives. I guess group tours have insider knowledge and may take you places that you wouldn’t discover on your own, although I am a pretty avid travel researcher so that doesn’t seem too much of an advantage. It’s also nice to not have to worry about the logistical details that can be quite stressful… and at times in the past I have suffered from decision fatigue when travelling in my own. Having someone speak the local language is most definitely an advantage

And we were blessed with an amazing tour guide, Alina… lovely, well organised, efficient, willing to go above and beyond… and also quite smiley, which is unusual for a young Slavic woman (as many people notice and comment on the lack of smiles in Slavic countries, she did explain that culturally, the people tend to save their smiles for close friends and family- so does that make us family now Alina?)

It was also lovely to share many wines, cocktails and meals with the other people on the tour… eating alone is not always fun.

But, being a free spirit, I still struggle with keeping to someone else’s schedule and itinerary… I think I like my freedom and independence too much. We’ll just have to see what the future holds… and I know one way or another, it will include more travel because it enriches me beyond measure and my gypsy heart just needs to wander. Much of the world still awaits!