Ziarah ke Turki : Istanbul Day 3

Phewww....yabeda bedu kertas exam dah habis tanda, markah dah siap masuk dalam sistem, student pun tengah cuti sem, barang2 lepas pindah masuk rumah baru pun dah siap kemas, so dapatlah I rilek sikit bila balik rumah...boleh lah sambung mengarang entry Ziarah ke Turki : Istanbul Day 3 pulak. Yang dah terlepas entry2 sebelum ni, jemputlah baca Ziarah ke Bursa, Turki : Day 1 dan  Ziarah ke Turki : Istanbul Day 2.

These are the places that we've visited on our 3rd day in Turkey :-

(1) Tol & AR Leather shop

This leather shop is our first stop early in the morning tour. It's located in front of the Marmara sea. When you come with tour, they would bring you to see their fashion show first, and then visitors will be served with drinks, air teh panas yang I tak minum coz mak incik memang kurengg sikit minum teh. 

+- fashion show kat Tol & AR -+

The price is quiet expensive but our tour guide told us that this shop is a very reputable shop. After the fashion show, a salesman explained to us that they use 3 kinds of leather to make their products – sheep skin (thickest, soft), lamb skin (thinner, softer) and the best quality – lamb skin shaved to 0.4mm thin using special machinery, which is the so called “silk leather” that feels like fabric and is wrinkle-free. Dia siap buat demo suruh pusing2 jaket tu pastu konyok2 bagi kedut2 lepas tu bukak balik jaket tu kedut sikit je, bila smoothen balik guna tangan..kedut2 pun hilang. 

+- in front of Tol & AR leather shop, overlooking Marmara sea -+

Salesman tu pon bagitau yang leather dari Turki banyak eksport ke Europe utk buat beg2 branded yang mak incik dan kawan2 semua gila2kan sangat tu *ngata diri sendiri*. Kat dalam kedai ni memang semua jenis handbag, jaket kulit dan baju2 dari kulit ada di jual. Cakap je nak jenama apa, semua ada e.g. LV, Channel, MK, Prada, Hermes pon ada weh...leather handbag kat sini memang ringan dan almost the same dengan kalau beli kat butik ori, tapiiii...jahitan kat beg tak kemas; harga pulak murah 50% je dari yang ori. So tepuk poket tanya duit dalam wallet kalau nak shopping kat sini :p

+- dah jom naik bas nak pergi jalan2 tempat lain pulak -+

(2) Bosphorus River Cruise

Boshorus River is body of water that passes along the shores of Istanbul is 20 miles in length and is the physical divider between the continents of Europe and Asia.

+- view from the Bosphorus River cruise -+

We took the Short Circle Bosphorus Cruise that took about two hour non-stop tour. Mak incik kekonon ayu habis pakai skirt kembang FV for downy masa naik cruise ni, lepas tu bila angin tiup feeling2 princess sebab skirt jadi kembang dengan sendiri nya hahahha dah tua2 pun tak habis2 berangan pompuan ni.

+- SN jr buat gaya bajet top model sangat, tak nak tengok kamera pon :p -+

+- eh eh eh apsal mommy senget2 macam nak jatuh pulak ni,mabuk sungai ke apa? -+

Oh tapi silalah jangan di lupakan hero ber2 yang super excited dan fully energetic masa kat atas cruise tu, tak menang kaki nak mengejar diorang. Incik hubby pulak mabuk pening2 lalat  sikit masa atas cruise ni, so dia duduk diam2 kat bench dan sengih2 bila I ajak posing.

+- ecece..hero2 kesayangan tengah menikmati pemandangan -+

+- SN jr siap berguling2 atas cruise tu -+

+- tengok le step by step kelam kabut kelibut nya mommy jaga SN jr sebelum akhirnya dapat posing dengan tenang -+

Well, what can I say is it's pretty cool to see the sights of Istanbul on one side and the "East" coming to you on the right side. Bot tu memang khas untuk geng tour kitorang je, so we had time to move around and could get up and view the shores with ease. 

Honestly, cruise ni biasa2 je aside from the spectacular view of buildings surrounding the river, but if you have done a lot of sightseeing and need to rest your legs, take a cruise and you can continue to see more sights. So, anyhow it was still a good cruise for me sebab leh rilek2 layan berangan konon2 ada private cruise sendiri hahahaha.

+- mari berangan suatu hari nanti boleh beli private cruise sendiri lalalala -+

(3) Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia)

The grand old Aya Sofya has had a history as complex as the city it sits in. Starting its life as the Hagia Sophia Church (Church of Holy Wisdom), it was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest and is now a museum.

+- inside the Aya Sofya -+

+- outside of the Aya Sofya -+

The first church on this site was built by Constantine the Great in AD 326 but this was later burnt down. The next church that rose on this spot was then destroyed during the Nika Insurrection. During the reign of Emperor Justinian the church was rebuilt on a grander scale with construction taking place between AD 532 and 537. Masa kat dalam ni, kitorang di bekalkan dengan audio guided tour yang kitorang boleh dengar suara Ahmet, so dapat lah tahu sikit2 sejarah dan cerita ceriti Aya Sofya.

+- Abg SN pun pakai audio guided tour -+

+- LEFT PIC : Ahmet tengah cerita sejarah Aya Sofya -+

+- RIGHT PIC : Nampak tak betapa ramai nya orang dalam tu? -+

Dengan excitednya kami memasuki Aya Sofya dengan niat nak menghayati keindahan dan sejarahnya, tapiiiii 5 minutes after entering...dua2 hero tidur berdengkur2. So mommy kena dukung SN jr dalam SSC, Daddy pulak dukung la abg SN sambil galas bag kamera yang berat berbatu2 tu. So, in the end gambar2 kitorg dalam ni semua guna handphone je; sedih :(

+- ni kat ground floor. 

LEFT PIC: snake patterned pool

RIGHT PIC : pillars with ABu Bakar name on it -+

Downstairs the building is largely empty; the best of the glittering mosaics lurk in the galleries upstairs. Ada pillars besar dalam ni yang ada tulis Allah, Muhammad, Ali tapi tak nampak sangat sebab ada kerja2 reconstruction kat dalam tu, so nak ambik gambar pun tak best sangat.

+- haa tu belakang kitorang ada tulisan Allah, Muhammad dan Umar -+

+- kerja2 contstruction yang mencacatkan view sedikit sebanyak -+

Dalam ni boleh nampak pertembungan 2 agama, dan ada bekas tanda2 cross yang dah di cungkil buang dari dinding Aya Sofya. Naik tingkat atas guna tangga sambil dukung budak kecik seberat 9kg memang semput gak lag, tapi incik hubby lagi kesian dukung budak besar seberat 15kg hahaha. Nasib baik masa turun tu, ada macam slope pathway..so tak lah lenguh sangat kaki.

+- LEFT PIC : bekas tanda salib yang dah di buang -+

+- RIGHT PIC : pameran barang2 kesenian Islam -+

+- turun slope, phewww lega tak yah turun tangga -+

Pusing2 kejap je pastu lepak luar layan angin sejuk kat perkarangan Aya Sofya sebab both of us dah lenguh bahu dan tangan dukung both SNs. As for me, OK lagi la sebab pakai SSC..so rasa lenguh tu bearable lagi compared to hubby.

+- muka ceria dapat keluar sebab dah lenguh dukung budak 15kg tu -+

+- posing depan pintu Aya Sofya -+

(4) Hippodrome

The ancient Hippodrome was begun by Septimus Severus in AD 203 and completed by Constantine the Great in AD 330. This was the centre of Byzantine public life and the scene of splendid games and chariot races but also factional conflicts.

+- tu yang panjang tinggi belakang kitorang tu lah salah satu landmark Hippodrome-+

Location: At Meydanı, Sultanahmet [source: here]

(5) German Fountain

The German Fountain is a gazebo styled fountain in the northern end of old hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square), Istanbul, Turkey and across from the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900. The neo-Byzantine style fountain's octagonal dome has eight marble columns, and dome's interior is covered with golden mosaics. [ source: here]

 +- ahli tour yang lain kusyuk dengar penjelasan Ahmet -+

  

+- abg SN sibuk posing masa orang lain sibuk dengar history German fountain -+

Kat sini ada banyak pigeon, so abg SN mintak nak beli makanan burung tapi mommy daddy tak layan. Pusing belakang, tengok2 dah ada makcik Turki bagi kat dia..so seronok la abg SN bagi pigeons makan. "pet..pet..pet..I want this pet", jerit Abg SN kat situ. Hamboii nak, kalau setakat pigeon tak payah nak pet sangat lah, crow tak nak buat amik jadi pet sekali? :p

+- makcik palai jubah brown tu yang bagi makanan burung kat abg SN..tengok muka dia sikit punya excited -+

(6) Grand Bazar 

The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewellery, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather, gold jewellery and the like. 

+- depan pintu masuk Grand Bazaar -+

Masa kat dalam ni, terus tuju kedai sourvenir yang touris guide recommend. Tokey kedai siap boleh cakap melayu. Mommy busy duk pilih t-shirts and Fridge Magnet nak bawak balik kat family & friends back in Malaysia..Daddy pulak busy beli sunglasses. So anak2 ber2 siapa jaga? Of course, our tourist guide yang baik hati i.e. Ahmet yang tolong dukung dan entertain SN berdua tu.

+- ni tokey kedai kebab, org Turki kebanyakan nya sangat2 friendly dengan budak2 -+

Sebab kan nampak Ahmet yang dukung budak2 tu, tokey kedai ingat I ni wife Ahmet sebab kebetulan Ahmet ni memang kahwin dengan orang Malaysia..so dia bagi diskaun lebih sikit hahahhaha. Cepat2 mak incik explain kat tokey tu, tapi diskaun dah di beri so takkan dia nak tarik balik kui3x.

+- ni gambar selingan, Ahmet jaga SN jr while daddy duduk diam2 layan pening kepala mabuk masa kat atas cruise -+

Overall, we really enjoy our 3 days tour in Turkiye and would love to visit Turkiye again anytime soon. It was really a lovely place to visit and there's still lots of things and places that we wish to visit there. 

+- one of the most beautiful sight that we enjoy every fajr in Istanbul, from the hotel window -+

+- breathtaking view of Blue Mosque behind us -+

Yang paling penting, sepanjang kat sana Abg SN dah sangat2 attached dengan Ahmet tourist guide kami yang super duper hensem tu sampai kan masa kat atas bas on the way ke airport, dia nangis2 sebab sedih nak berpisah dengan Ahmet. Lepas tu asyik beriba dengan Ahmet atas bas, memang dia jadi personal assistant Ahmet sepanjang 3 hari tu. I guess they both feels the love towards each other so much that even sampai lepas check-in and entering the departure gate area, both of them were still waving sadly at each other....auwwww so sweet. 

+- with Ahmet and his beautiful wife before leaving the hotel -+

Insya Allah kalau panjang umur, bila2 Ahmet ikut wife dia balik Malaysia, mommy bawak Abg SN jumpa Ahmet ye. Insya Allah jugak kalau murah rezeki melimpah ruah lagi lepas ni, bolehlah bawak jalan2 lagi sebab anak2 mommy well-behaved along the trip; Alhamdulillah :)

Psssttt: Menjawab soalan Afziha Hafiz in the previous post, I was using SSC Tula design Retro Bikes bought online sebab kat Malaysia I tak pernah nampak lagi rasanya SSC Tula ni di jual kat mana2 kedai baby :)

~ Thanks for reading this (^-*) ~