Istanbul Day 1 Part 2

This is the second part of my Day 1 in Istanbul. Read part 1 here. This post is picture heavy. 
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GRAND BAZAARAfter the tour inside Turkish Do & Co., we were ushered to the one of the oldest and largest trade centers of the world today — The Grand Bazaar

 

Constructed in 1461 and reconstructed after the earthquake in 1894.

The Grand Bazaar has 3,000 shops and offices. It is the largest trade center in Turkey.

The sight inside the Grand Bazaar is overwhelming. From little trinkets to colorful carpets!

So many cute things to buy and I did not even bother. (Worst mistake ever!!) Since I’m not really into shopping, we exited thru one of the Grand Bazaar‘s  22 gates. Good thing Abdullah (an intern from Turkish Airlines) decided to go with us.

We told him that we are more interested to see historical buildings … he understood and took us to :

Built from 1550 to 1557, the mosque is located on a hill that over looks the Golden Horn.

 It was quite a walk going to Suleymanye Mosque so we stayed here for a bit.

This mosque is not as popular probably because its a little hidden and away from the main roads. But definitely its very beautiful!

My travel buddy, Grace (Sandier Pastures) and Abdullah

As it was beginning to get dark, we decided to go back and be united with our group. We all agreed to meet up at the gate of the Grand Bazaar at around 630 PM. We were the first to arrive. At this point, I was ready to crash. It had been a long day, little did I know that it’s also going to be a long night as well!

ISTANBUL SAPPHIRE

We got on the bus and braved the traffic of Istanbul rush hour. Next stop was Istanbul Sapphire, the tallest building in Istanbul and the whole of Turkey. Located at the central district of Levent.

At the top of Sapphire – 54 floors above ground. It was really cold up there! (It was raining a bit when we arrived)

After taking photos at the top of the building, we were given tickets to Skyride Istanbul. It’s a 4D simulation ride taking passengers to the most popular destinations in Istanbul. It was very real! In fact, after the ride, we were told that we can now all go home. LOLS!! (no photos allowed but here’s a link)

SUADA CLUB

Dinner was at Suada Club. It’s on an island in Bosporus — between two continents! This is where I go the first taste of Turkish Kebabs in Suda Kebap.

No photos of the kebabs and other wonderful food they served because I was already brain dead by this time. Madonna, Bono and Megan Fox have all dined here and I’m too tired to even look around!

We left the restaurant around 10 pm and got back to the hotel by 12. Yep! Almost everyone was asleep by the time the bus stopped in front of Radisson Blu. I didn’t even dare ask what happened. I’m just happy to see my bed. x_x

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This is a sponsored trip by Turkish Airline. However, all views and opinions are mine. More photos are posted in Instagram and Facebook. Watch out for  Day 2.