Istanbul: The Unexpected Trip from Layover

This is a kind of trip that I have never thought of until a chance comes around. Basically, I got an internship in Tokyo, Japan, so I have to buy a flight to go there from Chicago. After looking up online, I realized that two cheapest airlines at that time to fly to Tokyo is Turkish Airways and Air Canada. Of course, when I saw an opportunity to visit a new country even just for a little bit, I grab that chance immediately. I picked Turkish Airways just because I can go to Istanbul without a visa during my layover. This trip is my first layover trip to a different country where I don't know the language or anything else about it. But it was a pretty fun trip overall, and I would love to do something like this again in the future.

The first thing that I encountered during the trip to Istanbul is turkish dessert. I have no idea what it is or what it tastes like. Just because I saw lots of people were eating it, I decided to try it as well. I later learned that it is call 'Churro' which is a sweet crispy donut-like dessert. I love it from the first bite. I still wish that I have a chance to eat it again some day. Sounds like it will be a good start for my journey here in Istanbul. I forget to tell that I have to struggle at the train station for a while to figure out the best way to come to the city. It is fairly easy just to take a train to the center of the city, but the token system got me confused. Basically, you need a new token for each train that you take. No free-transfer.

Turkish sweet Churros: Great Dessert

The main attractions for this trip are two mosques: Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Technically, we call Hagia Sophia as a museum. I barely know anything about these places. All I know is that they are the symbol for Istanbul that all the tourists have to visit.

Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque

But what I like the most about Istanbul isn't the great dessert or the huge mosques that everyone comes, but walking on the Galata Bridge during the sun set. After finishing the two most famous attractions in the city, I have some time left before I should headed back to the airport. I decided to walk to Galata Bridge and seeing the Bosphorus Bridge connects Europe and Asia together. The weather on that day was super nice, not too cold and not too hot. I also got my dinner from the street vendor near the bridge. I got a fish sandwich for only3 bucks. They are delicious with grilled fish with lemon and warm bread. Now, I want that fish sandwich again. I got my dinner and sat near the water for a while for my meal. I still remember that moment, and my thought of how lucky I am to enjoy that moment right now.

Galata Bridge

I also have another trip to Istanbul on my way back to Chicago. The duration for the layover is similar around 7 hours, but the time are completely different. My first layover was from 4pm-1am while my second lay over is from 3am-12pm. Because of the time, I have to sat in the airport for couple hours otherwise it will be too early for me to go to the city. I waited until like 6-7am before heading out of the airport to explore different path of Istanbul. This time, I know a little bit more about the city, how to get around, and where to go. I decided to visit a few more mosque and walk around the area before heading back to the airport. I like my first trip more. It might be because I was pretty tired from staying in the airport and it was too early for the city to be exciting and energetic. But I still get to go to a nice bakery place for couple desserts for breakfast. They are interesting, but I wish I pick more sweet ones.

Finally, I enjoy the decision that I made to have 7 hours layover in Istanbul plus 20+ hours for my flight from Chicago to Tokyo. It might take a lot longer to go from Chicago to Tokyo instead of flying across pacific. But I think it is one of the best way to spend time, which is to explore the world literally. If you have a chance to transit at some new country, go ahead and you will see how much you have been missing those years while you simply fly across these countries.

Bakery Place: getting some bakery for breakfast