Istanbul | Cuts for Him

What can I really say about Istanbul that has not already been said many times over? The fascinating history of empires, its past religious crossroads, the connecting point between Asia and Europe and the list goes on and on. Everything from a factual and historic perspective is well documented. In fact, I urge you to check out an article I wrote a few weeks ago on the architecture of this beautiful city. I share quite a few photos of some of the beautiful landmarks and hope you like them.

See, I told you everything that needs to be said from a generic perspective has been said already. However, there are two aspects of my visit I would like to share with you all. This is purely from a personal perspective and can truly say I was blown away them. The hospitality and the food of the Turks is like none other.

Hospitality

I still cant get over the fact that the people of Istanbul were genuinely pleasant. From the airport upon arrival to checking out from my hotel, it was pure joy to interact with such polite and friendly people. This might sound a bit patronising but you would understand if you are from London where everything is a tall order. When I can, I always make sure I chose a decent hotel as I believe this adds a lot of value to the entire experience. Having worked very hard through the year with no time off, a was looking forward to the perfect hotel where I Continue reading C F Him in Istanbul – Hospitality and Food →

I promised two weeks ago I would share my experiences in Istanbul with you but have not been able to do so until now. I apologise for the delay and hope its worth the wait.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) in all its beauty with a blue sky backdrop. This architectural beauty also holds great historical significance as it connects Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. It was once a church, then converted to a mosque, and now a museum. one of my fav monuments in the city

I will be sharing my experiences of Istanbul in two parts. The first article (this one) will look at this city’s architecture, where the second article will explore food, hospitality and the people.

First of all, whenever I talk about architecture in Europe, there are two main cities I benchmark my idea of beautiful architecture from which are Barcelona and Prague. I know other European cities have beautiful architecture as well, but the above two left a lasting impression on my mind for so many reasons. You can check out articles of my Prague experience here and here. But anyway, this article is about Istanbul so let me reel it in a bit before I get carried away with talking about other cities. Oh and the fact that Istanbul is not even in the European union is probably a good enough reason for me not to compare but anyway, moving on.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue mosque) was built from 1609 to 1616 during the rule of Ahmed 1. This mosque caused an uproar within the muslim world when it was built with six minarets matching the great mosque in Mecca. The uproar prompted the Sultan to order a seventh minaret to be built in the Mecca as a gift. The blue most is opposite Hagia Sophia with less than four minutes walk between them

Ok, basically I have heard so many things about Istanbul from different people who gave good reviews about this city. At this point, you would think it’s a no brainer for me to just pick up my suitcase and head out there right? Well guess what, that’s exactly what I did. Apart from the little scare I got after seeing on telly the tragic occurrence of the Ankara bombing on the 10^th of October, there was no stopping me from travelling to Istanbul. As with many of the places I travel to for the first time, I did not know much about Istanbul. In fact, I know so little that I couldn’t have told you more than 10 facts about this city. Shocking right? Well wait until you hear my big confession. Continue reading Beautiful Architecture – C F HIM in Istanbul →

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