Helloo Uniquifiers and Iām back with another post! ā„
Everyone loves vacations. The break from the chaos of our daily routines, the refreshing heat (or cold) and most of all, the not having to do anything! I’ve recently been to Turkey, literally one or two months ago, and I gotta tell you – it is an incredible experience! Every country, every place in the world has its own culture, its own attractions, and Turkey definitely does not lack in either of those things! So, in today’s post, I’m going to share with you my experiences from Turkey, and why you should book it for your next holiday! Warning: I’m also going to share a LOT, and do not take this lightly when I say A LOT of photos that I took there! Prepare yourselves for an extreme photo dump!
Before I get into the post, however, I just want to say happy Eid! Today is the Islamic celebration Eid for most Muslims all over the world (some people may celebrate on different days), a day that marks the end of Ramadan. So, again, happy Eid and I hope you all have a great one! Anyways, let’s go!
Okay so firstly, I didn’t even know that I was going on holiday until I actually got to the airport! I know, right?! My parents told me and my siblings that we were going to London to visit our relatives, and so we packed our suitcases, expecting to go on a 1 week trip to my cousin’s house, and then, voila! The next morning, after we had a night’s rest at some random hotel, we were suddenly at the airport! I only actually found out we were going to Istanbul once we stood in the queue… It turned out that my parents wanted to surprise us, and surprise us they did! It was honestly the best feeling. They also did the same thing when we had a surprise 1 week trip to Disneyland Paris… Yeah, that was great.
Anyways, our first stop in Istanbul was obviously, our hotel, which had a great balcony view of the city. Our next stop was probably my highlight of the trip – Taksim Square, situated at the heart of Istanbul. Taksim Square was buzzing with all sorts of people – tourists, shoppers and so much more. Various shops and cafes were scattered all around, and once you ventured even deeper, there was a huge street dedicated only to shops! There were many Turkish brands such as Koton, and yes, we bought loads of clothes! The cafes sold delicious sweets like baklava, Turkish delights and obviously, there were also those famous ice cream vendors who put on a whole show before they actually give you your ice cream! š Literally, you have to try catch the ice cream. Sounds weird, yes, but Google it and you’ll get it (; Basically, the atmosphere of Taksim Square was like nothing I had ever seen before – I loved it! Here are a few pictures I took:
Gorgeous, right? So, after hours and hours of walking, we finally reached the hotel, which is when I collapsed on the bed and cursed my aching feet. But, I couldn’t complain because the view from our balcony was AMAZING! I literally sat out there all the time with a book – I’m pretty sure I spent more time on the balcony than I did in the actual room š Seriously, though, there’s no other feeling than reading a book high above a beautiful city, with the soft breeze tangling in your hair (yes I’m getting cheesy, shh).
The next day, we went to this museum that had once been a royal palace. It was, well, wow. The palace gardens had been converted into a park, and there were museum artifacts inside the actual rooms of the palace! Just looking at it made me feel like I had practically been transported back thousands of years ago! However, it was forbidden to take photos of the artifacts so here are a few that I took instead:
If you ever go to Istanbul, you can’t not go down to Bosphorus to look at the water! Before we did that, though, we sat at a shisha cafe that gave another stunning view!
Then, of course, came the late night visits to the main town, where we had dinner at Pizza Hut (because why not š) and took a little walk. And honestly? The night life in Istanbul is no less than the night life in London or even NYC! It’s so alive and full of lights and people, even at 1AM! If you’re a city girl (or boy) like me, then you will love it!
Obviously, no holiday would be complete without eating loads… and loads… of food! I ate way too much for it to be possibly healthy, but hey, food is life! If you’re not gonna treat yourself on vacation, then when are you gonna treat yourself, am I right? And Turkey has the best food! Kebabs, rice, baklava, you name it! I stepped into one cafe, and OH MY GOD! It had heaps of sweet pastries and desserts! But, and this might just be me, but the food is a little bland, so if you love spice, like me, make sure you ask for lots of salt and pepper!
Finally, the largest tourist attraction in Istanbul is the world famous, 560 year old Grand Bazaar, a bazaar teeming with people and shops of all kinds! It was huge, and the lanes were quite narrow, so if you’re claustrophobic then maybe it’s not such a good idea. This is because there are no quick exits or escapes, and you will definitely get lost – I did! But fortunately, there are many people who are there to help you out and give you directions. Anyways, I would recommend bringing some headphones/earphones to drown out the noise if you do get a little uncomfortable, because like I told Bay, it is crowded!!! There are so many people, and because of this very reason I couldn’t even get out my camera or phone to take a picture (which is why I’ll post pictures from Google below instead)!
I’d also recommend wearing some comfortable shoes, because there’s gonna be a lot of walking, and my feet hurt even in my trainers! However, cons aside, the pros are that the Grand Bazaar really shows you the rich culture of Turkey, and you can buy literally anything! From spices to pure honey to even handbags, trust me, there is so much to buy!
Anddd that’s it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! Visiting Istanbul was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and it really taught me how different each country is! Just seeing the lifestyle of the people living there, I mean, wow. So, have you been to Turkey? Are you planning to go sometime in the future? Let me know in the comments!
UniquelyMe 
Iāve always wanted to go to Turkey but I never got the chance since weāre normally going to the Dubai in the UAE
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Oh yeah, you should definitely visit if you get the chance!
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Wow Turkey looks amazing! OOOO CROISSANTS and a good coffee! š What type of ice cream is that? š
Nice to see that you had a great and adventurous time š
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It really was amazing!! AND YESSS no book or holiday is complete without a croissant and a coffee haha š Thank you! ā¤ļø
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I’d love to go to Turkey! It’s been on my wishlist for a while! The Grand Bazaar looks amazing! š
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Yeah, itās pretty amazing! And I agree, the Grand Bazaar was great – maybe a little crowded, but it was definitely an experience!
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Wow! ā¤ I kniw literally want to teleport to Instanbul (even though I just got a virtual tour with your photos – which were epic) but like it just looks AMAZING!! And literally just see myself on that balcony aswell just reading ā¤ I mean, why not?! And wow, those pastries and everything are just *mouth waters* scrumptious! So sorry that this is a late comment on your post but like if you ever go again, take me in your suitcase please ā¤
Amazing post, I absolutely love it! And your photography skills are just wow, so much better than mine anyway! ā¤
Amber xx
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Haha thank you, and yesss Istanbul is amazing you should definitely teleport there (; Not even gonna lie the majority of the time I was in the hotel I spent it reading on the balcony š
They were deliciousss!! Nooo, stop apologising!! I totally understand xo
Haha yep, Iāll take you in my suitcase and we can eat Turkish pastries together (;
Seriously?? Wow, thatās such a great compliment! I literally think my photography skills are mediocre, but this just made me smile ā¤ļø Iām sure yours are great, too!!
UniquelyMe āļø
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Yes! Definitely hoping one day I might become lucky and gain that power š I don’t blame you, that would literally so be me! ā¤
Yesss! x Aww, thanks š
Sounds good to me, I’m seriously fancying pastries right now ā¤
Aw, no worries! Yep, your photos are so good and I really enjoyed looking at them! I actually recently got an Instax camera and have enjoyed taking some pictures!!
Amber xx
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Haha, me too!
No problem xo
Sameee on my way to school right now but I might just stop by Costa for a special treat (; Haha awh thatās so sweet of you! Seriously? Talk about LUCKY! Iāve been wanting an Instax for agessss ):
UniquelyMe āļø
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Yes! x š Ah, I enjoy reading people’s posts, reply to comments etc. on my way to school it can be a great start to the day š Ooo, that sounds lovely, hope you enjoy it!! I tried to do that once but I left too late and ended up being super late for school with coffee spilled down my clothes – it was not a good day!! x Yes, seriously!! Your photos were really good x I know right! I ahve been asking for one for about 2-3 years so I manged to persuade my parents šš
Amber xx
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Definitely!! It just reminds me that even if people around me are… not so nice (š), that I still have the lovely people on the blogosphere to brighten up my day – i.e you! Haha yesss! I once bought a coffee but I was already running late to school, so by the time I got there the morning assembly had already started and I was just standing at the side with a coffee in my hand… And then my head teacher saw me, and in front of my whole year she dumped my FULL CUP OF Ā£4 COFFEE IN THE FREAKING BIN!!! I know, right?! I was so embarrassed and annoyed like she does NOT have the right to throw away my morning coffee š As you can see Iām only slightly heated up about this… Iām still cranky about it š
Awh thank you! Youāre so lucky!
UniquelyMe āļø xo
Thank youuu xo
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Yesss! š I totally understand, the amazing people in the blogosphere aka. you make up for the toxic, rude people in my life š Exactly, it re-assures that there are decent, amazing people out there – you just have to find them xx Oh gosh, that sounds so embarrassing!! That must have been a nightmare, sometimes I get scared for like morning assemblies if something like that is going to happen! š But seriously…?! Coffee is so expensive, like chucking it in the bin what were they freakin thinking?! Rude šš I feel like I may be more cranked up about this thank you lol šš
I know right! And no worries š
Amber xx
ps. No worries š
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Awhh girl thatās just so sweet of you! Definitely, I agree xo Haha IT WASSS you donāt even understand how embarrassed I was like šš I know! I got so mad but then I couldnāt really say anything since she was my headteacher but… š Haha thank you for being cranked up on my behalf š
UniquelyMe āļø
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Aw, no worries š Yass, it’s so true! I love the blogosphere so much xx I know right! It feels like you’re literally on fire and burning up with embarrassment!! xx ššš” Exactly! You literally have to bite your own tongue to stop yourself saying anything! x
No worries – anytime aha š
Amber xx
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I know!!! xox
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Woah gurl!! I’m sure you had such an amazing time over there. The pics are so prettyā¤ļø
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Thank you! Yeah, I did!! Canāt wait to go again soon in the future hopefully, and thanks again!
UniquelyMe āļø
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Oooh I totally want to go to Istanbul! We were going to go, but we couldn’t find a flight so that was cancelled š but it looks gorgeous! And icceee creeeeeaaaaammm!!!
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Awh thatās really sad! ): You should definitely go if you get another chance! Thank you! ā¤ļø
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Yeah, we want to! You’re welcome! ā¤
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Wow, you’re such a talented photographer! š
I enjoyed looking at your Istanbul travel photo journal.
I’d love to visit Turkey one day… it sounds like such a wonderful place to explore.
Daisy xox | https://daisychaindaydreamsblog.wordpress.com/
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Recently went to Istanbul and totally loved it. And yes the ice cream itās amazing
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Yes, itās an amazing place! Haha, definitely š
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