Travel Tuesday: Istanbul – A City of Contrasts🤠✈️

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

This week, Travel Tuesday takes us to Istanbul.

What surprised me most was the incredible variety within one city. In just a short time, you can move from busy streets and lively markets to peaceful palace gardens, impressive mosques, waterfront neighbourhoods, and viewpoints stretching across the city.

I visited during winter, which made the experience even more memorable. Seeing historic courtyards and gardens covered in snow gave Istanbul a completely different atmosphere, quiet, beautiful, and almost unexpected.

One of my favourite experiences was taking a cruise along the Bosphorus. From the water, you get a completely different perspective of the city: palaces, mosques, bridges, modern buildings, and neighbourhoods on both the European and Asian sides. It really shows how Istanbul connects different cultures, histories, and continents.

Istanbul is busy, colourful, historic, modern, chaotic, and peaceful, sometimes all within the same day. That variety is what i remembered from this trip.

Have you ever visited Istanbul? What surprised you most or what would you most like to see there?

[Amanda Barber]

Wow, stunning photos, @Arkadiusz Wroblewski - thanks for taking us on a trip around the world (and giving me new places to plan to visit!)

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Amanda Barber

You're welcome. I'm glad I can share it.

I have way more photos. 😄 That's only a smaller part of that

Yes, I learned and understood, no matter where you go, every place has its story.

[Dave LIAO]

@Arkadiusz Wroblewski - Beautiful shots! 📸

Turkiye has been on my travel list forever!

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Dave LIAO  @Amanda Barber 

You should do that. Is still quite affordable.

[Brita Moorus]

Beautiful photos! 🧡

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Brita Moorus

You might be surprised how good pictures Google Pixel 9 take.

You need some basic skills but most of them are good light and scenery.

Okay, now I've done some product placement. Google, send me some tokens! 🤣🤠🙃

[Brita Moorus]

Beautiful photos indeed - this has been on my travel to-do list for a while. Thanks for sharing 💙

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Brita Moorus

Life won't wait 

If you have even a couple of days free then do that.

I also have an interesting story about my trip to Ankara where I was forced to stay for one day and paid 6 Euro for a hotel. 🤣

[Brita Moorus]

I completely agree - life doesn’t wait!

I've been lucky enough to visit Finland, Austria, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Denmark, the US and Italy already this year. Since Estonian summers are so short and beautiful, I’m very happy to spend this one closer to home ☀️🌲

Then, when autumn arrives, I'm hoping for another little hiking adventure - perhaps Mont Blanc or the Dolomites 😊 🤞

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Brita Moorus 

Every corner have their own story🤠

Your list are already quite impressive.🫂🙂😀

[James O_Connor]

Great photos again @Arkadiusz Wroblewski! I've only been to Turkiye once, and my one experience of Istanbul was running through the airport to make a connecting local flight - I would love to go back and actually spend time there as I've heard great things. 

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

It was an experience. Definitely. And small culture shock.

[Huwen Arnone _Deiser_Devoteam_]

I'm in love of this new topic. Thank you very much for sharing @Arkadiusz Wroblewski this is on my to-do.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Huwen Arnone _Deiser_Devoteam_ 

Aww. Thank you so much.

I think Istanbul is a kind of place where everybody can find something for themselves.

When you look back on the history of Istanbul/Constantinople and so on, you can notice that almost every nationality across the globe had cultural influence over this place. What was one special thing Istanbul was always doing? Never denying it, but adapting it.

[Barbara Szczesniak]

I went on a cruise that made 2 stops in Turkiye. When we stopped in Kusadasi, we went on a tour that included the house of the Virgin Mary and the archeological site at Ephesus. It was amazing and probably the only time I would get someone in my family to go to an archeological site. 

I didn't go to Istanbul, but, from your beautiful pictures, I feel that it would need more than a day-trip off a cruise ship.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Barbara Szczesniak 

I say one thing. Cruise with Unlimited drinks is Trap 😂

[Barbara Szczesniak]

I don't drink these days, so I don't need to worry about that trap. I choose to think of this as the bright side of being on more than one medication with a label that says "do not drink alcohol while taking." 🙃🍷