The Divine Miss M suggested I write a topic about Istanbul (e.g. the things tourists should visit, do, and try when they get here). I have been here for three years and sometimes I take for granted that this lovely city has so much to offer.  I have decided to make this list in parts and categories. I will start off with my personal picks of places you MUST visit and things you MUST do whilst here.

This list is not in order.

1. Visit all the historical landmarks in the Sultanahmet area.

a. Hagia Sophia

b. Blue Mosque

c. Yerebatan Cistern

d. Grand Bazaar

2. Go to the Eminonu and visit the following.

a. The Spice Bazaar - where you can find all kinds of spices, fruits, caviars, and lokum ( turkish delights) at a reasonable price.

b. Have a photo take at the Yeni Camii or the New Mosque. You won’t miss it. You will probably want take a photo of it when you see it.

c. Walk towards the Galata Bridge and watch Turkish men trying to catch some small local sardines they call Hamsi. If you are get tired with the walk, you can head to one of the many fish restaurants ( balik lokanta) located literally under the bridge.

d. Take photos of the view of the Golden Horn from the Galata Bridge. Watch the world pass by

d. Cross the bridge and head over to Galata Tower. You can do that by taking the fenicular going to Tunel just at the end of the bridge.  Once you get off Tunel, you are now at Beyoglu. Another interesting district of Istanbul. You can walk towards the Galata Tower by going through the street where are all the music shops are. When you reach galata Tower, it is imperative that you climb to the top and look at the view of the city from here!

d. Go back to Beyoglu and walk through Istiklal Cadessi. You can also take a tram ride from Beyoglu until the starting point of Istiklal in Taksim.   The whole street is a good 2.5 kilometer walk. Here’s your chance to try some local Turkish street food. You can have a Turkish ice Cream ( try Mado or one of those little ice cream parlor where the guy will have a mini presentation on how they serve the ice cream). You can visit the Fish market just at the back of the street across the Galatasaray Lisesi or you can head to Cicek Pasaji (the Flower street) and take your lunch over there.

If you want to get a vibe of the city’s nightlife. Taksim Square is worth a visit on weekends. You can also head to the “posh” night clubs and bars such as Reina, Anjelique, 360, Blackk, and Sortie to have some good fun but be prepared to pay ( a steep) price.

There are still many places here worth visiting. I will continue this list on my next post

To be continued….

We waited for your firsts.

First cry.

First smile.

First laugh.

First caca.

First bath.

First tooth.

First meal.

First step.

First word.

and you just had your first birthday!

Last Wednesday was a perfect day to celebrate your day. We had a specialy birthday cake for you. OF course itw as special because it had your photo on it! Then we went to the park. You jumped up and down the huge trampoline. Crawled on grass and enjoyed the sunshine. Then we went off to Rainforest Cafe and you had your share of meatballs with potatoes while you looked at all those cute animals inside the cafe. Then, you got so fascinated with the water fountain in the mall that you wanted to dive in but we had to stop of course and you made a big fit out of it!

Last but not the least you had some rides down at the kiddie park where you got scared with the mini train  and tried to get out of the nanny’s hold! We wanted to take you on a nice Bosphorus boat trip but you were so exhausted after a full day. We took a taxi back home and you fell asleep on papa’s arms. We’ll do the boat trip some other day.

Bon Anniversaire, mon cacahuete!