On one of my trips, I was traveling down from Bulgaria by train on my way to Istanbul.  It would be my first time entering an Asian country.  However, upon entering I felt I was still in Europe.  The city has been very Europeanized in the sense that you have all the modern trends you would find in any European city.  This is where the debate lies…is it an Asian country or a European country?  Actually it is labeled under Eurasia…fair enough.

One thing I noticed was that Istanbul is very well kept and they have a great transportation system throughout the city.  On any given day, there are hordes of people shopping at the Grand Bazaar, the oldest and one of the largest covered markets in the world.  I was amazed in the chaotic organization of the market and the diversity of products up for sale.  Just outside the bazaar, there were many fisherman side by side on the bridge waiting to catch dinner.  After hanging out with them I decided to get a good night’s rest and check out the mosques the following day.

My first morning consisted of a wake-up call at around 4:30am with a call to prayer so loud that it was impossible to go back to sleep.  I got used to it after day 3.  I headed out to explore Istanbul’s iconic mosques.  The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia are probably the most impressive mosques and most recognizable.  Going inside is even more impressive as you look towards the ceiling.  For a cultural experience, make sure not to miss a Sema Dance (aka Whirling Dervishes), a ritual dance involving dervishes dressed in white gowns whirling in circles.

After a few days in Istanbul, I traveled south about 10 hours by bus to Cappadocia to visit the interesting rock formations.  This was a highlight in the trip as the topography is something I had never seen before.  From far away they look like elongated mushrooms.  These natural formations were caused by erosion millions of years ago and villagers learned to carve into the soft rock to create homes, churches, and temples which can be seen throughout the villages.  Visit the underground cities built by early Christians as hiding places before Christianity became an accepted religion.

After my dose of Cappadocia, I returned back to Istanbul to catch my flight to Egypt and continue my journey.