A Weekend in Istanbul
One fine weekend in October I met my friend Zena for an amazing weekend in Istanbul! I took
two days off work to make it a 4-day weekend.
Not only did I get to spend time in a new country in a fabulous city, but I got to do it with a friend of 10 years who is dear to me and knows me very well. It was a welcome break to a very stressful first two months of school, even though I did have to do a few hours of work on Saturday night. There was fabulous conversation, lots of sleep, delicious food and relaxation.
We both arrive at the new Istanbul airport within a half hour of each other, easily found our driver and about an hour later were in our hotel room. We went out to wander and discovered that we our hotel was about a 3 minute walk to the main square in Sultanahmet where the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia sit opposite each other. We discovered that we have similar travelling patterns- we both like to go out the the overview walk and enjoy wandering.
We took a walking tour, a boat ride on the Bosphorous, splurged on a Turkish Bath (which was the best 60 euros I ever spent!) and ate at an amazing fish house twice (Zena 3 times). The best adventure for me was a Sunday morning trip to church at the Crimean Memorial Church. Since I know Zena from church, it was only fitting that we go. It was a lovely service in Ordinary Time followed by coffee hour during which Zena and I both met very interesting people. I met a guy from Dallas!! We were then invited to lunch with the Rector and two Brits which was absolutely delightful. No question, going to church while travelling abroad is always a rewarding experience.
There isn't much more to say because the weekend was so rejuvenating, relaxing and refreshing. The rest is in pictures.
two days off work to make it a 4-day weekend.
Not only did I get to spend time in a new country in a fabulous city, but I got to do it with a friend of 10 years who is dear to me and knows me very well. It was a welcome break to a very stressful first two months of school, even though I did have to do a few hours of work on Saturday night. There was fabulous conversation, lots of sleep, delicious food and relaxation.
We both arrive at the new Istanbul airport within a half hour of each other, easily found our driver and about an hour later were in our hotel room. We went out to wander and discovered that we our hotel was about a 3 minute walk to the main square in Sultanahmet where the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia sit opposite each other. We discovered that we have similar travelling patterns- we both like to go out the the overview walk and enjoy wandering.
We took a walking tour, a boat ride on the Bosphorous, splurged on a Turkish Bath (which was the best 60 euros I ever spent!) and ate at an amazing fish house twice (Zena 3 times). The best adventure for me was a Sunday morning trip to church at the Crimean Memorial Church. Since I know Zena from church, it was only fitting that we go. It was a lovely service in Ordinary Time followed by coffee hour during which Zena and I both met very interesting people. I met a guy from Dallas!! We were then invited to lunch with the Rector and two Brits which was absolutely delightful. No question, going to church while travelling abroad is always a rewarding experience.
There isn't much more to say because the weekend was so rejuvenating, relaxing and refreshing. The rest is in pictures.
Comments
Post a Comment