Istanbul, Turkey

Definitely not the way we had hoped to start the next Chapter. The day after arriving in Istanbul I had to fly back to Oz for 5 days so left Jessie to explore the city on her own.

We initially booked an apartment in Istanbul's Beyoğlu District. Unfortunately for Jessie, it was directly above a nightclub which made the 5 days pretty torturous. We were drawn to the area as it was promoted as being "more local" than the southern side of the Golden Horn. The southern side is where most of the tourist attractions like the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar are located. It turns out Beyoğlu is just as busy, but more as a shopping and nightlife area. I arrived back in Istanbul on Friday afternoon. After dropping my bag back we went for a walk down to Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn and enjoyed a shisha as the sun set. The perfect way to return.

The forecast predicted heavy rain for Saturday. We got out early and made our way to the Walls of Constantine before the rain set in. I'd say the walls are arguably the reason Istanbul, or Constantinople as it was called, is famous. Based on this I expected them to be a must-see destination. We caught the bus out to where Google Maps had a point marked for the Walls of Constantinople. All we found was a main road passing through a segment of neglected ancient wall. I guess that's what happens during endless years of conquest. Once conquered, likely forgotten.

On Sunday, we had an overnight bus to Bodrum. We packed up our gear and stored it at a bag storage place near the Grand Bazaar. Then, we explored the main tourist highlights: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkani Palace. We had dinner before trying to get to the Bus station however ended up missing the connecting metro because the train didn’t arrive as per the schedule. We ended up catching a bus and train in the opposite direction so we could meet the original bus at its third stop of the journey. Nothing like a last-minute adrenaline dump to push you to your next destination.Read more