My family and I took a plane to Istanbul, and very large and popular Turkish city. This is our last stop in Turkey, ending a pleasant month spent here.
Istanbul is an incredibly large city, with millions of citizens and thousands of tourists. It’s so big that it’s split between two continents, Europe and Asia.
What a large city- and this is only a tiny part!
My family and I stayed here a week in a local neighborhood. Our apartment was trendy, but was not meant for a family of four, instead a single or a couple of people.
Our Apartment
On of first day in Istanbul, we rested. But the following morning we set off to a market called the Grand Bazaar. It was very overwhelming, with many people selling carpets, scarves, pottery, tea, spices and other goods. Here we didn’t buy very much, only a couple of glass animals, and it wasn’t what I thought it would be like.
Need a scarf?
We also visited a Spice Bazaar, where my Mom and I each got a scarf on sale and my brother a soccer jersey.
We walked along a long, wide shopping street here, and I got a new shirt and a pair of new shoes. My old ones were getting tight, and I’m leaving the, here in Namibia, where hopefully they’ll used well.
Strolling On Istiklal Street
Perhaps you’ve heard about the riots in Taksim Square. We had no problems here, but did see some evidence of it.
Smashed Window
Near our apartment is a tall tower called Galata Tower. It’s one of the tallest buildings in Istanbul, with great views. It’s also the oldest tower in the world open to visitors.
It Was Huge
Another day we visited a tourist site, Topkapi Palace. This palace was very beautiful, with lots of tile and glass. We also saw courtyards, royal clothes, weapons and my favorite- the jewels.
The tile was hand-painted and gorgeous!
The stone was also beautiful!
I also saw the outside of a mosque called the Hagia Sophia. It was gigantic!
My Dad took many pictures of the mosque.
My Mom and I took a fun cooking class, and we made five yummy dishes! Our kind instructor also wrote about me on the school’s Facebook page and website!
The fresh philo dough could be used as a tablecloth!
We stopped in a yummy pickle shop
Another day we took a short boat tour from the Europe side to the Asian and back.
Sitting Around
On one of our last days here we visited an underground, man made room. It was built by slaves a long time ago, and had very fancy pillar and carvings and was refreshingly cool.
A Tipped-Over Head of Medusa
One afternoon I was invited to play volleyball with some local girls. I accepted and we became friends, playing daily together.
We took some photos to remember them by, and gave them a soccer (football) ball
I also learned some of their names
Now I’ll leave busy Istanbul and go to Namibia, Africa. Stay tuned! 🙂
Notes from Charlie 
Hey Charlie, I am about to go back to camp Deer Lake for 11 days, want me to tell you about it? -Veronica
I would love to hear about it. Which one are you doing? Please email me. Have Fun!!!
Your Friend,
Charlie
You do a lot of eating!! Have fun in Africa.
Hehe! I like the “Need a scarf?” thing! They looked really pretty.
Have a good time in Africa!!
looks like you had alot of fun in turkey.can hardly wait to experience your new cuisine-all the food you have learned to cook.glad you found some local kids to play with.wow has your hair grown.love you lots.