Finally, I arrived in Istanbul. I only had two nights here, as I didn't intend to explore much of the city in the first place. I've been to Istanbul in the past, and this time, I just needed to be in the city to catch my flight back home. Nevertheless, I had an entire day in the city, and I used that to explore the Asian side of the Bosporus, which was something I didn't do during my first visit.
Of course, I did take the opportunity to visit other places I liked previously, like for example my favourite baklava place. But that's beside the point. My main target was the Asian side of the strait, and so I took a bus from where I was and headed to Asia.
My first stop was the Anadoluhisarı, or Anatolian Fortress. The interior is not accessible, but nevertheless, I briefly explored the area. It is located directly across another fortress on the European side.
My next stop was the Küçüksu Kasrı, a neo-Baroque waterfront palace, that was very opulent. It was constructed as a summer residence for the Ottoman sultans. Unfortunately, photography inside the building was not allowed, but it was absolutely pretty.
Finally, I was in the Beylerbeyi Palace. Oh this was absolutely fabulous. Again, photography was not allowed inside the building, but this was perhaps one of the most interesting palaces I have seen in Istanbul. It was interesting enough that I would want to go back there and check it out again if I can.
In any case, this concludes my month-long sabbatical in Turkey. It was fun exploring a country in this way, and I would love to do it again sometime!
