We were all very eager to travel again, and were excited to visit a new country! The first day in Istanbul, we saw a ton of mosques, but only went inside one, and we walked around the big city, which included seeing the Grand Bazaar. Before we started our sight-seeing, we had lunch at a Turkish restaurant. The food was amazing! It was full of fragrant spices and robust flavor. After lunch we went to visit the Hagia Sophia.
The Hagia Sophia, a World Heritage Site, was built as a church under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 532–37 when Istanbul was called Constantinople. It was the largest church in the world for hundreds of years! The Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and changed its name to Istanbul and also converted the church into a mosque. In 1935, the Turkish president changed the mosque into a museum, only to have it turned back into a mosque in 2020! It was as pretty on the inside as it was on the outside!
The Grand Bazaar was full of souvenirs, spices, and fake jewelry. We got to walk through it and try a few of the local Turkish delicacies like a lemon-mint-eucalyptus tea and Turkish delight. It was a great first day in the vast city of Istanbul!
Inside the Hagia Sophia:
Great pictures💝
Thank you Erik!!! 😊
So fun to see that you are traveling again! Love all of these beautiful photos of Istanbul! (and the historic information) So great to see photos of your family! They are growing up so fast!! Miss seeing you all! Happy travels! Thank you for sharing!!
So great to hear from you, Patti!! Thanks so much for following along and saying hi. We miss seeing you as well!!
Wow! This looks amazing!! I love reading these updates!! The pictures are beautiful and your experiences are fascinating!
Thanks you for sharing about your experiences, Findlay! I can’t believe how much taller and older (you look from the pictures) since the last time I saw you! Hope track is going really well and that you are enjoying yourself!
What another memorable family experience for you all! Findlay, thank you for teaching us about Istanbul and sharing some highlights of your trip. So glad your family continues to send these posts!