Whilst walking about the enormous city, the tour guide expressed some fascinating statistics about the bustling city.
Istanbul is the only place in the world to belong to two continents: Asia, and Europe. Formally known as 'Constantinople', the city is home to 14.1 million people. The majority of this number, is around 30 years old and enrolled in University.
Sass & Bide goes Muslim in the Mosque of Sultanahmed.
The "Blue Mosque", as us Aussies call it, or the Mosque or Sultanahmed has to be one of the most magical places on the earth. Its beautiful lighting and details in the ceiling represent such fine detail and influence of the Muslim culture.
The Basilica Underground Cistern, is the largest of several hundred cisterns located in the city of Istanbul and was built in the 6th century.
While I found that most of the items sold at the Grand Bazaar were manufactured in China and not genuine artefacts, I enjoyed the atmosphere that the market portrayed.
After a busy day at the Grand Bazaar, we found ourselves sipping coffee's at a nearby cafe, when all of a sudden two men bolt through the crowds, following them, a man in a three piece suit. Without warning, he started firing a gun (this happened three metres away from my table), while my sister started to cry from fear, a salesperson repeated "you buy Chanel, you buy Chanel".
While the events of the day threaten my decisions to return to Istanbul, it makes me realise how lucky we are to live in Australia.
