During the Easter holiday we went to Istanbul. It's fascinating to see a metropolitan area of Turkey, because there is a sizable population of Turks here in Munich from the Gastarbeiter days. 
It was nice to experience such an historically rich area with incredible hospitality and to better understand why Turkish pride shines through here. The people were so kind and seemed genuinely happy. I'd be happy to live near the water and have delicious food, too.
(As a side note: I love exploring the grocery stores and shops around the Hauptbahnhof area here in Munich. I affectionately call it 'Little Istanbul' around Landwehrstraße. There are always incredible products and it is hands down the best place to get some really great baklava.)
Here are some of the places and things we saw during our visit...
Istanbul panorama
protection from the evil eye
balık ekmek at the Galata Bridge
Sunday at the Bosphorus
Iznik tiles
Crossing two continents
Colors of the Golden Horn
Galata tackle shop
Galata catch
Simit Sesame Rings + Salgam drink
Istanbul Street Foods
Grand Bazaar Lights
Egyptian Spice Market + Pul Biber
Asmalimescit
Galata Tower view
Basilica Cistern
şiş kebap + Turkish coffee
Taksim Tünel
Orient Express Train Station
Topkapı Palace
Turkish Delight
Spotted by Locals
The Guide Istanbul
Hacı Bekir
Karaköy Güllüoğlu
Hafız Mustafa
Istanbul Eats
Meze by Lemon Tree
Faros
(If you're an American you'll also need a visa upon arrival, which costs $20. I only had £ in my wallet, so I attempted to pay the 15£, but that was declined, although the window said it was accepted. We had to go to a nearby ATM that dispensed dollars, euros, and turkish lira so I could pay. As I returned to pay with dollars the man behind the window was counting money including £, so you probably want to bring the cash that is associated with your country to avoid that hassle.)
On our next visit to Turkey I'd like to visit:
Cappadocia
The Şakirin Mosque
Ephesus
Pamakkale
The next post will be about Mosques + Churches of Istanbul.
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