Istanbul, formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the most populated city in Europe. It has a long and interesting history that is worth reading about. As a crucial stop on the Silk Road, it was once the most important city in the world. And on a sunny day in September 2014, it was the most important city to me and my brother 
My brother and I were in Istanbul after finishing up a road trip through Turkey. We had rented a car in Bodrum and driven up through Turkey over the course of several days. Istanbul was where
We arrived in Istanbul and found an awesome hotel for a super cheap price (looking at prices today, it's $22 a night!). This was the most deluxe hotel I'd stayed in after 4 months of traveling. The only down side is that it's not very close to Istanbul's main tourist sights. We wanted a place close to the airport because 
We decided to return our rental car as soon as we arrived so that we wouldn't have to deal with it on the same day that we were trying to catch flights. We were glad that we did because returning the car was not a straight-forward experience and we spent a frustrating hour or two trying to find the drop-off location. Eventually we returned the car then got on the street train to the main tourist area.
The first site that we went to was the Hagia Sophia. This was originally a cathedral that was converted into a mosque.
It's an impressive building to see. We walked around the outside of it, but didn't go in. There was a line to go in, and I think there was also a dress code.
The day was hot, so we decided to go underground and check out the Basilica Cistern. The line to get in was long, but a guy approached us and told us that we could go to the front of the line if we had a guide. The price for his services wasn't too high and we split the cost with two people who were in front of us in line. All of us were able avoid a long wait in the line for a reasonable price. The guide was also pretty informative and friendly.
The cistern was built in the 6th century and parts of old temples were used in the construction.
Like all of my other night time / indoor photos. The pictures that I took in the cistern didn't come out very well on my phone. Even without great photos, the tour through the cistern was enjoyable. The space is huge, interesting, and the cool temperature was a delight.
After that, we wandered around the city a little bit. We were looking for a place to grab a beer, but it wasn't readily available. We asked around and some sketchy religious-type with a beard told us that it was forbidden. But we'd had beer all through Turkey and knew he was lying.
Unfortunately, the grand bazar was closed when we were there. I think it's only open on certain days. Or maybe it closes in the afternoon.
Eventually, we found a place that served beer. It was a nice little patio area tucked away from the busy streets.
It was a pretty and calming area to relax in. We spent an hour or two resting our feet and escaping from the hot sun.
This area was next to where we were sitting and it's my favorite picture from Istanbul. It's so pretty and confusing. Is this a restaurant-barber? Can you get a shave while you have a fancy meal?
After resting for a little bit, we went out and walked around some more. I took a few photos of random buildings.
Istanbul definitely has some cool and unique buildings.
Getting back to our hotel proved to be a little bit difficult. We were only 2 or 3 stops away on the street train, but the trains were PACKED with people. I think we had to skip one or two trains because they were so full. Eventually we were able to squeeze onto one and make it back to our hotel.
This is the only picture that I have of the room. It was absolutely beautiful. All of the furnishings were super fancy. It's crazy how inexpensive this hotel is.
For dinner,
We wandered around for a while and eventually found a place that was open.
It's fitting for me that the last photo that I took in Turkey is of a doner kebab.
After we ate,
I wasn't real sure where I wanted to go next. I was thinking about going back to my apartment in Germany, but flights from Istanbul to Frankfurt were pretty expensive. What I did was get on Sky Scanner and set Istanbul as my "From" and put "anywhere" as my "To". Then I sorted by price.
Tickets to Rome were super cheap, and tickets from Rome to Frankfurt were also cheap. So that made up my mind. I bought a ticket to Rome and headed to the airport. I didn't really want to go to Rome though. I was tired of cities and tired of tourist destinations. I figured I just go and check it out, then fly back to Germany. I'm so glad I went to Rome! It was one of the coolest places I've ever been to. It was a very big and busy city, and it was packed with tourists, but even with those negatives, it was amazing!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as I continue my journey in Rome!
