Singinalot's 2023 Land Trip to Istanbul, Cappadocia, Rome, Amalfi Coast, & Florence

[Guest]

We crossed the bridge to make our way to the Galata Tower.

 

 

uphill I might add

 

 

made it!

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, erby2283 said:

Loving this (as always).  How long was your flight to Istanbul.  When did you book this trip (I may have missed reading this). 

 

As always, worst part is leaving the fur babies. 

oh forgot to answer, it was a 10 hour flight 

[Guest]

 

We ate lunch right outside of the tower. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galata_Tower

 

There are several shops and restaurants around it.

https://www.guneyrestaurant.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nate got the chicken cutlet and I got the halloumi salad 🤤 

[Guest]

As I researched Istanbul, I kept seeing how big the city is…NOTHING I read does it justice. The entirety of Istanbul is huge and beautiful.

 

One spot i wanted to visit was Istiklal Street which is said to be great for shopping.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/İstiklal_Avenue

 

After our leisurely lunch, I pulled up google maps and started us in that direction.

 

This little street on the way had words above our heads that shadowed onto the street. Loved this effect even if I couldn’t read them. 😊

 

[Guest]

We quickly arrived at Istiklal Street and I was honestly surprised at how pretty and alive it was. 

 

 

 

Police presence was all along the street, but nothing intimidating or overbearing.

 

cute little old church down an alley

 

 

 

 

hopefully most of you can see this video 🥰

 

 

 

[#55worktoplay]

3 minutes ago, singinalot said:

We quickly arrived at Istiklal Street and I was honestly surprised at how pretty and alive it was. 

 

 

 

Police presence was all along the street, but nothing intimidating or overbearing.

 

cute little old church down an alley

 

 

 

 

hopefully most of you can see this video 🥰

 

 

 

So neat. It looks like a great place to visit.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, #55worktoplay said:

So neat. It looks like a great place to visit.

 

it absolutely was!

[Guest]

We came to the Church of St Anthony of Padua

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, singinalot said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nate got the chicken cutlet and I got the halloumi salad 🤤 

Yummy! Thanks for identifying. I am interested in every meal and every drink!

Norris, drawn to Istanbul where they take care of the stray cats (see the movie "Kedi")

[Ozark_Kid]

13 hours ago, singinalot said:

the hotel spa pool:

 
 · 

Did you get in the spa.  It looks so cool. 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Yummy! Thanks for identifying. I am interested in every meal and every drink!

Norris, drawn to Istanbul where they take care of the stray cats (see the movie "Kedi")

 

We ate SO MUCH food 🙂 All of it delicious!  Nate did try the beer. I can't remember what day. He's not much of a beer drinker, but he said he enjoyed it. Mostly, he got jack&coke or just regular old sprite....a couple times the local red wines.

 

9 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Did you get in the spa.  It looks so cool. 

 

 

stay tuned!!!

[Guest]

Nate found his McDs

 

oops

 

 

 

[Guest]

The end of Istiklal Ave opens up to Taksim Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

We made our way back down the hills and through more of a residential area…heading towards the Galata Bridge as I had a specific respite in mind.

 

 

 

 

 

another fountain like I mentioned earlier

 

 

[Bimmer09]

10 minutes ago, singinalot said:

We made our way back down the hills and through more of a residential area…heading towards the Galata Bridge as I had a specific respite in mind.

 

How far was your walk from the hotel to the Galata bridge?

Norris

 

[Guest]

@Bimmer09 about 25 minutes or so…mostly downhill or flat. we made the walk quite a few times during our stay.

 

[Guest]

One thing I forgot to mention is that Turkey requires a visa for entry. https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

 

I paid $103 USD online in advance for the both of us and received the approvals pretty quickly. They DiD ask to see our paperwork at passport control so I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step. They sent the person in front of us to a visa office because she did not have one.

[Guest]

One of the really cool things about the Galata Bridge is that it has 2 levels. The bottom level is made up of restaurants with awesome views and a breeze and serving freshly caught fish.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

after our respite, we headed back to the hotel and passed through the egyptian spice market

 

 

 

 

 

an interesting statue along the way

 

 

 

[Guest]

Tonight we would dine at one of the top tourist restaurants in Istanbul: Seven Hills Restaurant. Once again, up several flights of stairs. The restaurant we ate at last night is right next door.

 

a pretty little corner of the hotel

 

 

[Guest]

my fried zucchini in yogurt dish was lacking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1Lina]

On 8/14/2023 at 11:34 AM, singinalot said:

My youngest sister lived outside of DC for several years so I reached out to her when I was planning for a lunch restaurant suggestion. She suggested Old Ebbitt Grill https://www.ebbitt.com which I then suggested to my Dad and Nate. After Dad picked us up, we headed straight there.

 

Parking was easy in the garage directly below the building.

 

Loved the old bar

 

 

 

 

Nate got the reuben, my Dad got the meatloaf, and I got the filet.

Hi there, 

I’m not a “foodie” but I do love to shop! 😂

Love your Gucci wallet. Do you know the name of this style? PS love your post 

[NHProud]

This is where we stayed . It was about 10 years ago . Our taxi was greeted with guards checking the undercarriage of the car with mirrors. They checked the inside, too . 

 

We mostly went to museums and I do remember my hubby telling me that my haul of Turkish delight at the bazaar was getting too big .  
 

 

[HBE4]

On 8/17/2023 at 5:29 PM, singinalot said:

 

 

 

Was that Nate saying "Holy crap, it's like a mountain". 😅

 

I guess it is hillier than it looks in the photo's!

 

 

[#55worktoplay]

Really enjoying your pictures and videos. That church was absolutely beautiful.

 

Thanks so much.