One lesson I will surely take from this trip is that very little sleep, a very early wake up, and a very long flight are never a good combination. Unfortunately, those were the cards dealt to me for our flight from Nairobi to Istanbul. Aside from those difficulties though, the travel was good.
We got into Istanbul in the afternoon which left us the remaining day and night to spend before we left back for Houston. Getting the chance to sightsee in Istanbul was a very great experience and worth the initial flight delay in my own opinion.
In Istanbul, we got to see many amazing sights. First off, we got to use the public transportation (pictured) which may surprise some people but it was a bucket list item of mine. I love to geek out over public transportation (you always want what you can’t have @ Houston) so trying different transport systems abroad is always a blast for me.
Selfie on the Metro!
After taking public transport, we did a bit of shopping at the Grand Bazaar (pictured). The amount of stores was quite overwhelming and there were so many pretty items on display. Luckily, we only had an hour before closing or else I think I would have been stuck in a daze inside there for a long, long time. One of the lamp stores in the Bazaar had such a beautiful display that could have had me entranced for hours on end (pictured).
Grand Bazaar Entrance
Lamp Store in the Grand Bazaar
After finishing our shopping, we headed out to see the Hagia Sophia (pictured) and Blue Mosque. Both mosques were breathtaking and the surrounding areas were so lively and walkable. It was a truly a pleasure sitting and taking in the scenery and greenery surrounding the area. After that, we had dinner nearby and called it a night in order to prepare for our flight the next day back to Houston.
Hagia Sophia
-Milton
