Merhaba !

Merhaba ! is how Turkish people say " hello! ". That is the only word that I know in Turkish language, beside Kebab. I just came back from Turkey last week. It was freezing cold , the temperature was so low, around 3 Celcius. Have been growing up in tropical country, made me struggle every single day there. It was not only cold but also raining there plus a little bit of winds. But thanks God that I am back to sunny Singapore, with flu and sore throat 'though.

Well, Turkey is indeed a beautiful place. I didn't have chance to visit many cities , just dropped in Istanbul. Istanbul is like a mix between Asian and European culture. The architecture, the people, the style. People from Greece, Italy , German and many more mix there , and not only those nationalities. The people in Turkey are generally friendly , a bit conservative in some ways.

Dolmabache Palace' Gate - located in the European side of Bosphorus. Built during 18Th century.
It is breath-taking and absolutely gorgeous. Very intricate in details , heavily crafted ... definitely a place that must be visited in Istanbul.






one of the grand hall in the Dolmabache Palace.




side gate of Dolmabache which facing the Bosphorus.


The Clock Tower in front of Dolmabache Palace.

Very luxurious interior with crystal handrails.




Bellow : Blue Mosque - the famous mosque in Istanbul.







blue mosque


The famous Hagia Sofia


inside the Hagia Sofia - full of symbolic meaning, artistically decorated and it is a grandeur. Hagia Sofia it means Holy Wisdom. Hagia means Saint. Sofia is a name of the saint. It was a church then converted to mosque then converted again to museum. It was built during Byzantine period under the order of Justinian Emperor. It is really a great example of sustained ceramics and marble.

section of Hagia Sofia... back to school again...learn about History of Byzantine Architecture.

by the way, in case you wonder ... wow.. this is a nice picture.. this picture above was not taken by me. My poor camera couldn't capture much and low resolution. It is only 3.2 pixels ... well..*sigh* .....anyway.. it is really a pretty place.


Now...it is about food...Local food...I don't remember how to call it.. but it know it is a grilled Mackarell . By the way, one thing we cant miss it the kebab! so yummyyyy!!





Taksim Square - worth to visit