istanbul
what a hectic, busy, messy, crazy, dynamic, colourful, vibrant, intense, amazing city. an unbelievably insane few days where I was totally overwhelmed with all the food, tea, sweets, sights and smells.
a park close to the hotel
sultanahmet mosque/the blue mosque
the view after climbing onto the roof of what looked like an abandoned market
I don’t even know if I could say a highlight because I was only there for a day and a half, and the whole city that I saw left me speechless. crowded, hot, sweaty, but yet everyone is so friendly, especially when you say you’re from australia. I loved the spice markets, the vibrant colours and scents.
something that always makes me laugh is when you walk past restaurants and the staff really want to serve you, and they shout out “yes, yes lady”, “yes lady, you come in now!”
one guy who worked in a restaurant just outside of where I was staying, got my attention when he asked my name and if I like his home country. so I stood talking to him for a good ten minutes about how it was only my first day, but I really like it so far, especially the shops. then the next day, anytime I walked past him, he asked me “how your day is victoria?” I feel that the turks are so friendly.
view from atatürk bridge
of course there’s always the people that walk around with their little souvenirs that they shove in your face that aren’t as friendly, but you tend to not worry about those. what I don’t understand is why anyone would actually want to buy them, they’re actually not very nice. I find that about most knick-knacks around the world… unless they’re nice sterling silver bracelets or rings, your shitty brass key rings do not interest me. nor will they interest my friends and family when I get home. but thank you anyway.
the coolest shop full of beautifully hand painted ceramic bowls, hand stitched bags and jewellery. why is my pack so full already?
actually no, the highlight of istanbul for me was going to taksim square. it was unbelievably busy in the area of taksim, with people playing instruments and shouting in the streets, well into the wee hours of the morning. graffiti covered the street walls, rubbish littered the streets, people were marching and shouting and singing together… in all the chaos, it was obvious how much people come together in times like this. posters and flags of the old president atatürk were everywhere; the man responsible for creating the republic of turkey in the 1930’s, while their new president is attempting to change turkey back into the secular country it once was.
peacefully protesting in gezi park
travelling alone 