Long-awaited Getaway, Turkey & Greece ; Part 1 - Istanbul
Our 2018 started with an impromptu getaway that was planned only 2 weeks prior to departure. Out of the blues, we suddenly decided to get on a holiday covering Turkey & Greece. Our holiday took a total of 13 days from beginning to middle of January. Although the initial plan was to cover Iran as well, but we had to re-route our getaway last minute before our flights were booked.
A pro-tip for cheap European flights, AirAsia offers return ticket to Tehran for almost less than RM1000 most of the time. Also, we found out that Tehran is a cheap European flights hub for practically anywhere, or at least their neighbouring countries. The excitement of finding cheap return European flights from Kuala Lumpur can be truly overwhelming. Hence, maybe if you are travelling to Europe in the near future, you could consider this tip. We eventually chose Emirates with a 15 hour layover in Dubai for our return flights to Istanbul.
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| Reliving Costa coffee memories in Dubai Airport. Missing Sheffield. |
We both love Istanbul. And it's our second time visiting this city. The aesthetics presentation it has is so different from any other part of any European countries. It's a unique blend of Asia, Europe and beautiful streets. We love the random street around Istanbul too. The colourful signages, cobblestone paths, everything!
And obviously, I love the cats roaming around the city. They were fluffy, tame and well-fed. What is Istanbul without their street cats?
As I previously mentioned, it was our second time in Istanbul however separately. We did a lot of non-historical sites sight-seeing. But there was one historic building we both could not miss visiting again. And it was the Hagia Sophia. Tickets were priced at 40TL per person which equals to almost MYR41.
Hagia Sophia was still under construction from the last I visited in 2015. We loved the stone works and tiny mosaics plastered along the ceiling and walls. It never cease to amaze us how such building was beautifully built and exists in a synchronised harmony of Christian and Islam. Next, in case anyone who have not visited Istanbul, the infamous Sultan Ahmed Mosque aka Blue Mosque is located just across the compound from Hagia Sophia.
Enjoy hot apple tea or Turkish coffee overlooking Hagia Sophia & the Blue Mosque on a winter's evening. A memory worth remembering. We spent the rest of our evening walking around the city, eating local snacks before eventually decided to have dinner.
We were told what we picked was an authentic Anatolian dish, but I already forgot what was the name. The dish however, was splendid with out of this world huge portions for one. We dined in a restaurant hence prices here were a bit expensive. If you are on a budget, opt for street stalls selling durums or doners. It was way cheaper that dining in a restaurant.
Our first day in Istanbul was a laid-back one. It felt as if we were on old people's vacation. By 7pm, we were back in our hotel, getting ready to sleep.
Addition;
- From Istanbul Ataturk Airport, we chose to arrive at the city via train. Follow the train sign & buy istanbulkart for the city. The card itself was priced around 6TL and the fare to the city was around 14TL for two person. You can buy only one card for multiple person but you HAVE to have enough train fares for everyone.
- Whatever you do, even how tempting this Grand Esen Hotel offers for a night in Istanbul, just don't. They push customers who booked via any agent websites to a dirty, unkept, and poor service hotel in the area.
Our expenses ;
- Flight ;
- Emirates Airline, KUL-IST-KUL (MYR4,693 for two)
- Accommodation ;
- 2 nights in Istanbul (MYR262)
- Transportation ;
- Istanbul Ataturk Airport - City Centre (20TL for two person)
- Around the city - free if you tour on foot
- Entrance Fees ;
- Hagia Sophia (40TL/person)
- Check here for site passes and fees in Istanbul
- Food ;
- Allocate 20-25 TL per person/day of you have big tummy as we does
1 comments
Part 2 please! 😄
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