Visit Spice Bazaar
The Spice Bazaar is one of the popular destinations for the visitors who love spicy foods. ıt is considered as the second biggest after the Grand Bazaar. For the ones who do not like spice, you should still consider visiting the Bazaar since you will see delicious nuts, dried fruits, leaf tea, Turkish coffee and Turkish delight. So even though it’s name is Spice Bazaar, it is not only spicy products sold there.
Stay Between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia During Prayer Time
For those who are familiar with Islam, they know that Muslims pray five times during the day. In order to let people know that it is time to pray, muezzins (the ones reading the call to prayer, called ezan) read ezan five times from minarets. Many people who hear the sound for the first time are impressed! We do recommend you to stay just between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia during one of those readings. It will be a very interesting experience for you since you will notice that one muezzin reads a part of ezan and the other muezzin responds him by reading the other part of it. We bet you will love it!
Walk Through The Galata Bridge
Galata Bridge is among the symbols of Istanbul and you are expected to see it if you are coming to Istanbul for visit. It is also one of the symbols in the history of Istanbul to reflect the relationship among religious and secular people and institutions. One side of the Galata Bridge was considered as religious whereas the other sides was regarded as secular. It was considered as a bridge connecting different civilisations and cultures. The scene of the bridge is also attracting. You will see guys fishing on the bridge and also boats carrying passengers from one one side of Istanbul to the other.
Don’t Leave Without Drinking Turkish Tea
If you are coming to Turkey, you should definitely try drinking Turkish tea out of a tulip-shaped glass. It will be a good experience for you if you go to a tea house and ask the guy to bring the whole teapot with two level. The upper level is to brew the tea and the lower one is for hot water. You just add as much hot water as you like to your glass to make it less stronger. You will love it if you do it by the sea looking at the seagulls and hearing the sounds of the boats carrying passengers from Europe to Asia!
Taste Turkish Delight (Lokum)
Turkey is popular with its “Turkish Delight”. Many people who have not even been in Turkey might have heard about it. If you visit traditional bazaars in Istanbul, you will see that Lokum is everywhere. In front of shops, you will see colourful pyramids of lokum in different ingredients including melon, saffron and hazelnuts. Turkish people call it “lokum”, a term originally derived from Arabiic language. During the Ottoman period, it was called “rahat-ul hulküm” meaning something that gives the feeling of comfort to the throat. You will feel that conform after you taste it.
