Merhaba!

Finally!! after waiting for...let's see....THIRTEEN YEARS, I have finally arrived in Europe!!

Sort of.

To be exact, I have been staying in the European side of Istanbul for the past week. And yes, for those of you lacking in geographical knowledge, although most of Turkey is in Asia side, and in fact, half of Istanbul is also in Asia side, the other half, the one separated by Bosphorus strait, lays at the edge of Europe. Or, as Ming would like to say, in the p*nis tip of Europe. Interesting phrase.

What do I think of Istanbul?

Well, it's definately becoming one of of my favourite city. ever. It's the Hong Kong of Europe, only with better weather, clearer air, and more beautiful views.

After spending the first five days of our stay for the Jewelry fair here, we finally got the chance to do some sightseeing yesterday. Mr. Tamer, our friend and colleague, show us around the town in Sultanahmet area. At first, of course We head directly toward the Haghia Sophia, only to find it was closed on Monday.


So we went to Basilica Cistern instead, which is right across the street. Then we went to Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.


Earlier, Mr. Tamer, who is a Moslem, told us that he would like to take us for a dinner like the Sultans. I thought he's just being polite, but really, he took us to the renovated Ciragan Palace, formerly home of the Ottoman Sultan (well, one of them anyway), which was burnt down but now renovated to a fancy hotel. There is a hotel next to the Palace, but the Palace itself contained four suites which you can rent for 4,000 YTL, or around 2,200 Euro per night.

Anyways, we had dinner in Tugra Restaurant, but before, we had nice chats and enjoying the view of Asia Istanbul and Bosphorus Strait while waiting for the Maghrib, since Mr. Tamer fast. Unfortunately, in Europe that means 7:40 pm. Meanwhile, plates of cheeses, salami, honeycomb, milk cream, tapas, bread, smoked ham, pickles were already served and waiting. Was SO tempted, but politely waited for Mr. Tamer to start the Iftar meal.

At around 7:40, we started to hear Azan, and then lights in the Mosques across the straits was lit. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

The food is excellent, though after the soup and hot appetizer, I actually did not eat the main course, only had a couple of bites of the sea bass. What can I say? These westerns method of serving appetizer, soup, hot appetizer, main course, and desert is just crazy! by the time we got into hot appetizer, we're more than full!

Only in Istanbul we spent average 3 hours of dinner. Yesterday was actually 4.30 hours. We sat and talked and joked and laughed. I had an awesome time.


Today, we went to see the Grand Bazaar then stopping by Mr. Tamer's office. It was 3:30 by the time we're done, so we went back to the hotel first, took a nap, and then Ming and I took a taxi to go to Haghia Sophia.

I insisted we go, though the hotel's front desk said it may have closed. I mean, it's like going to Paris without stopping by the Louvre! or going to Vatican without seeing St. Peter's Basilica! Crazy I tell you!!

Anyway, apparently in summer, they opened until 7:30. We got there at 5:30, only 30 minutes before the upper floor gallery closes.

We chose the perfect timing.

I have been looking for the right words to describe it, but I believe in this case, any attempt would be proved futile. How could you do it? How would you do justice for it? Where do you begin?


The THIRD church, the final one who was to be taken over and changed to a Mosque in the 13th century, was actually inaugurated in 27 December 537, although the mozaic were completed decades later.

Breathtaking.

I know there must be dozens of them, at least, in Europe, but if you think that this church is used to be "the largest cathedral ever built in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Medieval Seville Cathedral in 1520" then you'd be able to appreciate its beauty, and to understand why is it that when Mehmet II the Conqueror, at the age of 21, conquered Constantinople and changed it forever to Istanbul as we know today, the first thing he did is to rush and claim the Aya Sophia as his trophy and changed it to a Mosque.

Anyway, enough of that.



After we visited the Sophia, we went to nearby restaurants and food stalls, joining hundreds of people who are waiting for Maghrib nearby the Blue Mosque.


We had a simple dinner of lamb sausage and beef with eggplants and potato puree in one of the cafes, and we took taxi back to the hotel since we're leaving for Singapore tomorrow.

Once we have the time, we'll post more on the pictures of the fanciest restaurants in Istanbul that we went, plus, perhaps, stories on how we manage to offend so many people in one day and laughed at them silly.

but that's another story.

Gulegule!