Istanbul must be one of my favorite cities i´ve seen so far. If i had to explain why, these must be some of the reasons:

...the sound of the seaguls in the morning

...the view at the Bosphorus from our balcony

...the echo of the ezan, the call to prayer

...the silence of the Blue Mosque and hundred of mosaiques

...all the history hidden in Hagia Sophia´s painted walls

...the crowded city and the maze of streets around the Grand Bazaar, where we discovered all the hidden patios

...the smell of hot turkish çai on a summer day

...friendly instanbulites who even smile at you if they think they might be in your picture

...the rose lokum, my favorite turkish delight

...the fish sandwiches and the grilled corn in Eminonü district

...full coffee places with the most interesting designs

...get lost amidst the cobble-stoned streets of Cihangir and Karaköy and stop at every hip coffee place on our way, just because they´re too cute not to stop

...a unique city with 14 million people where Europe and Asia collide

I love even the names of its most visited places, Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet, they sound like novel titles to me.

Once we settled into our hotel a 4 days adventure began, we wondered on the cobblestone streets of Istanbul, discovered hidden cafés, got lost in the Grand Bazaar, met great istanbulite instagramers, ate the best food and somehow let us emerge with the locals. So looking forward to experience the same soon.

I will write more about this special city, in some upcoming posts. ;)

love, i

p.s. check out the pictures and video below