Our first day in Istanbul

Today we explored the city of Istanbul, having an authentic Turkish breakfast, checking out Golata Tower, and Chris even got a haircut!

We started our day with sleeping in(as we got in late last night) before walking into the busy Golata Tower district near our hotel for an authentic Turkish breakfast. This was so good, and so fun to try! Essentially, you get around 20 different small dishes to sample, and these dishes are different based on the restaurant. Dishes range from different types of jams, honeys, breads, cheeses, etc.

After breakfast we walked around a bit, and Chris opted to get a haircut. This was interesting, as it came with a head massage, a hair washing before and after, and his ear hairs were burnt off using cotton covered in rubbing alcohol lit on fire(he wasn’t expecting this step, but didn’t mind it!).

Next we both spent some time at the hotel working on trip planning, before heading back out to walk the waterfront between the European and Asian sides of the city(the Bosporus Strait separates the European and Asian continents straight through the middle of Istanbul). On the way we stopped at a famous baklava spot and got a sample box with so many types, before heading on to the waterfront. The views from the waterfront were fantastic, and we found a nice stop here to enjoy our baklava.

After enjoying the waterfront we walked to İstiklal Street to Taksim Square, which is a heavily tourist route filled with shops and food vendors with tons of lights and colors(and smells!). After we walked back to the hotel and met up with Ben, and our friends Henry and John. The group of us grabbed dinner together, before exploring the city a bit more and heading to bed.Read more