Browsing tag:
Hagia Sophia
Why do I like Istanbul? I’ve been asking myself this question for weeks. My first trip to Istanbul was in December 2002. My memories of that visit are vague, but I remember being fascinated and wanting to return. Since then, I’ve visited nine times, each visit as enjoyable as the last. And every time I leave, I feel like I haven’t seen or done enough.
My most recent trip was in July 2025, the starting ...
I first published this post on Istanbul in 2019, after spending five weeks traveling across Turkey. I returned in June 2024 for another week and, in July 2025, I began a three-week journey through Turkey once again in this incredible city.
So, I decided it was time to refresh the post and give it more prominence, a homage to a place that continues to captivate me. Of course, no single article can truly ...
The last time I visited Hagia Sophia was in 2019, when I travelled around Turkey. I started that particular trip in Istanbul where I stayed for a week, before departing for Bursa. Regardless of the fact that I had already seen this Byzantine wonder many times in the past, I went again.
Hagia Sophia was a museum in 2019. The ticket to enter was 6o Turkish liras, which was approximately 10 euros at that ...
It's almost impossible to talk about Byzantine churches in Istanbul. After the conquest of Constantinople 571 years ago, Ottomans converted almost all Christian Orthodox religious temples into mosques. The only Byzantine church that still retains its original function is the Panagia Mouchliotissa church in Fener. I went to see this church, unfortunately it was closed. But I'm not too bothered because, when ...
I went to Istanbul after nearly 5 years. It was the most obvious destination that I could choose after a hiatus in my travel. I spent 5 weeks in Turkey in 2019, Istanbul was my first stop at that time. Afterwards, I went to Bursa, Izmir, Kusadasi, Aydin, Antalya, Konya and Ankara. I'm planning to see the eastern part of Turkey in the near future but, before that, I wanted to continue exploring the ...
