Author: Sandy

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Istanbul not Constantinople- A city where east meets west

Istanbul is truly an amazing place where cultures colloid together and perfect city for layovers. We had 15 hour layover in Istanbul on our way to Cairo, Egypt and decided to use this time to see some major historical sites of Istanbul. More information on Istanbul Layover can be found in post here and it outlines all your options. We went with option 3 and this is our experience of visiting following places:

  • Hippodrome/SultanAahmet Square
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque & Museum 
  • Basilica cistern
  • Arasat Bazar
  • Bosphorus Cruise

Hippodrome/Sultan Ahmet Square

The main attraction in Sultanahmet square is the Obelisk of Theodosius. It has a long history and originates in Aswan of Egypt (Pharoh Thutmose III) before being re-erected in Istanbul by Theodosius. Hippodrome used to be the place where people would gather to watch chariot race and is associated with Constantinople’s days of glory as an imperial capital. The other attraction is the German Fountian at the opposite end of the hippodrome. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II’s visit to Istanbul in 1898 and was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900.

Obelisk of Theodosius in Sultan Ahmet Square
German Fountian

Area around hippodrome is hopping with shops, vendors selling roasted corn on the cob, Turkish simit (Turkish bagel) and a great place to spend people watching.

Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque & Museum 

There is no other monument more iconic than Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, where 1500 years of Christian and Islamic history can be seen side-by-side. Once the great cathedral of Constantinople and later an imperial mosque of the Ottoman Empire, this center of worship for Christians and Muslims was a museum for few years and now is back to being a active Mosque. Since it is an active mosque right now, you need to have long pants or skirts, and women must cover their heads with a scarf or a hat. Also, as it is mosque covered in carpet, you’ll take your shoes off before entering the mosque (Plan accordingly).

Key sights at Hagia Sophia:

  • Church/ Mosque- Imperial gate golden mosaic. It represents the emperor Leo VI bowing down before Christ Pantocrator, giving His blessing and holding in His left hand an open book. The text on the book reads as follows: “Let peace and safety be with you. I am the peace and glorious light of universe” (Photo 4)
  • This church was built to face Jerusalem; mosques faced Mecca. When Hagia Sophia became a mosque, they couldn’t move the church, but they could move the focal point of the praying. The prayer niche is just a bit off-center and faces Mecca (Photo 9)
  • The Virgin and Child mosaic, 9th century CE, The mosaic is located in the apse semi-dome of Hagia Sophia. In the mosaic Mary is enthroned and she puts her right hand on the shoulder of the Child Christ who is seated in her lap (Photo 10)
  • Sultan lodge: This lodge was used by Sultan to join the rituals without being seen by public and it was also to protect the Sultan from possible assassins. The grills of the lodge are carved marble in Turkish rococo style, and the columns carrying the lodge are Byzantine.
Inside Hagia Sophia
Ceiling
Interior ceiling of Hagia Sophia
Imperial gate golden mosaic
Marble and Bronze Fountain Hagia Sophia
Inside the mosque
Roof of Hagia Sophia
Sultan’s lodge
Off centered payer nook facing mecca
Mosaic of Emperors Justinian and Constantine with virgin Mary
Outside of Hagia Sophia

There are few other artifacts in Hagia Sophia referring to its church days including this architrave of 12 sheep that represents the twelve apostles of Christ and this can be seen in the garden.

Blue mosque : Blue mosque was closed for renovation when we visited in April 2023 which means we will have to go back to see it again soon. We were able to see it from outside.

Basilica cistern : There are hundreds of cisterns under the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul which were used as water storage facilities to ensure drinking water supply during war. The most famous cistern is Basilica Cistern and has a very unique architecture as it is built using reused columns from the ancient Greek era and hence you will see columns with head of Medusa. For more info on these cisterns, see this blog. It was highlight of our trip to tour basilica cistern and it is fascinating to see new age art installations among really old Greek era columns. If you are visiting Hagai Sophia, I highly recommend seeing this as it is walking distance from Hagia Sophia

Arasat Bazar

Grand bazar is the most famous shopping place in Istanbul, and you can walk to Grand Bazar from Hagia Sohia. There are couple of ways to get to Grand bazar- either walk through Nuruosmaniye Street or take the tram (More info here). It is huge and very easy to get lost. We decided to visit Asrsat Bazar -a charming little bazar close to Hagia Sophia and bought one of the best Turkish delights I have ever eaten in a little shop. Arasat bazar gives you all the experience of grand Bazar without overwhelming the senses. Spice bazar is another good place if you want to buy spices and other food items.

Bosphorus Cruise:

Bosphorus strait divides Turkey into Asian Turkey and European Turkey making it into an Intercontinental country. You can be in 2 continents within few minutes within the same country. We didn’t have enough time to take the cruise but our guide took us on a passenger ferry so that we can see the Asian side of Turkey. It was beautiful night to be on the cruise and we walked around a bit before stopping by Sekerci Cafe . This place is amazing if you have a sweet tooth and has every imaginable candy and store get decorated for various festivals. We got to see it in its glory decorated for Ramadan.

Final thoughts: Layover tour is Istanbul is totally worth it and we are hoping to go back to Istanbul on our next trip to Africa or India. We found Turkish people to very friendly, and welcoming. The food especially Turkish delight is amazing and history and culture inspiring and spending even few hours is worth it see this amazing city. There is lot more to see in Istanbul than we could cover in 7 hours and we are hoping to go back on our next adventure to visit more places.

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Long layover in Istanbul airport- How to spend layover time in Istanbul- Updated June, 2024

This an update based on our experience while travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina with 26 hour stopover in Istanbul. Since the last stopover which we did in April of 2023, there are few updates for the Stay/Tour Istanbul program by Turkish airlines

  • US Citizens/ Green card holders do not need to apply for visa beforehand (Change from 2023)
  • When booking tickets on Turkish airline webpage, you can choose the option of Stopover, whether you want to stopover on departure or return and how many days you would like to stopover (Yellow highlights)
  • US based traveler can get up to 2 nights free hotel for economy class and 3 nights for business class.
  • You can pre-select your hotel (once you have your tickets) based on where you want to stay. Once your tickets are booked, you can choose the hotel under the option “Experience ” and “Stopover” tab. You can enter your ticket # or reservation code and you can choose the hotel options based on the dates of your stay. We were able pre-book our hotel almost 2 months before our travel. Makes it much easier to plan and we decided to book in Faith district (Hotel Grand Yavuz)

Istanbul is truly magical city where East meets West in both literal and cultural sense. If you are travelling to anywhere in Africa or Europe or middle east, you might have few hours of layover in Istanbul. If you want to utilize the layover time effectively and get most of it, there are few of options.

Option 1- free tour Istanbul with Turkish airlines. More info below on this and only possible if you book through Turkish airlines and you will see tourIstanbul on the lisitng

Option 2- free hotel stay with Turkish airlines stay Istanbul program. You can either visit some highlights on your own or through a paid guided tour. More details below .

Options 3: Guided tour. Any airline as long as you have enough time in between your flights

Option 4: Self-guided tour- choose your adventure. If you want to read our experience, check here

Option 1: Turkish airline Tour Istanbul- Free tour

If you have a layover in Istanbul, Turkish airlines has a complementary service called Tour Istanbul. Here are the requirements to avail this service :

  • Your travel must be booked with Turkish airlines- both legs of the travel
  • You need to get an e-visa before getting on the tour. E-visa can be obtained here. ( when we applied 2 weeks before our trip, we got visa almost instantaneously)- No need for visa for American Citizens and Green card holders- Updated in 2024
  • Your layover should be between 6-24 hours
  • There are 7 different tours to chose and what tour you can go on depends on your time of arrival. They offer full day tours and half day tours.
  • You don’t need to prebook the tour. Just head out to “ Hotel Desk” which you will find after going through customs and immigration. You will have to walk quite bit to reach hotel desk. You stop before getting out of the airport and Hotel desk is located opposite to arrival gate between door 13 and 14 ( you can also use this handy map to get to hotel desk
  • If you have luggage you can leave at the “Left Luggage” for a fee. This is not a free service, and they charge by hour. There are multiple left luggage places and there is one conveniently located next to “Hotel Desk”
  • Depending on the tour, breakfast or dinner provided free of cost. The tour doesn’t cost you any money.
  • Tour is offered 7 days a week and check here for updated information

Option 2: Stopover program by Turkish airlines

  • Stop over in istsnbul is a free accommodation by Turkish airlines in partner hotels!
  • Stopover in Istanbul is only available for passengers connecting from Istanbul Airport (IST); departure and return flights must be via Istanbul.
  • Stopover in Istanbul is only available for flights operated by Turkish Airlines.
  • To benefit from Stopover in Istanbul, there must be at least 20 hours of transit time between the two flights.
  • To take advantage of this service, passengers must apply at least 72 hours before the first flight via the e-mail address of the country of departure- Webpage has been updated and you can pre-book your hotel on the experiences tab on the Turkish airlines webpage -2024 update
  • Within the scope of this service, Economy Class passengers can stay 1 night free of charge in a 4-star hotel and Business Class passengers can stay 2 nights free of charge in a 5-star hotel.
  • Visa fees, travel costs around the city, and travel costs between the airport and hotel are borne by the passenger.
  • Economy Class passengers starting their journey from the United States can benefit from our Stopover service for 2 nights; Business Class passengers can benefit from our Stopover service for 3 nights.
  • Please refer to this webpage for all the details and reach out to Turkish airlines for your eligibility. Contact email for Turkish airlines for hotel if you are traveling from USA : freehotelusa@thy.com. For each country there is a different email and more details can be found here

You can only choose either tour Istanbul or stay Istanbul with Turkish airlines. You can’t do both on the same trip.

Option 3: Private guided tour

This is our experience at 15 hour layover in Istanbul on our way to Cairo in April 2023. We decided to not take Tour Istanbul option, as our flight was reaching at 2.30 and we weren’t sure we will make it to 4.30 tour. We organized the guided tour through Istanbul layover tours and we had the best experience with them. Our flight was delayed by an hour and Leif (owner/ contact) kept in touch through WhatsApp and we had a smooth transfer and tour. Our guide was Alp who made this tour incredible. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and truly amazing. When he found out we were vegetarians through the tour operator, he had gone to The Hagia Sophia area day before and found a restaurant that served vegetarian food before our visit. Highly recommend Alp and this tour company for Istanbul visit. Here are the places we visited:

  • Hippodrome/Sultanahmet Square
  • Hagia Sophia- went inside the mosque and got guided tour of the place
  • Blue mosque ( Closed for construction in April 2023) and we saw it from outside
  • Basilica Cistern- the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.
  • Arasta bazar- Grand bazar was closed by the time we finished everything else. So decided to check out Arasta bazar with our guide. Had the best Turkish delight and great overall experience of the turkish bazar.
  • Dinner at Feugo cafe and restaurant- really good Turkish food
  • Bosporus strait-forms part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe, and divides Turkey Europe side and Asian side. We took a ferry to Asian side and walked around

The tour lasted from about 7 hours and we were picked and dropped off to the airport. Hoping to go back to Istanbul in our next layover to check out Blue Mosque and other highlights of Istsnbul with same company as they can customize the tour based on your need. We also booked Yotel airside which is inside the airport so that we can stay inside airport and get to our connecting flight at 8Am. It was 5 min walk from the hotel to our gate.

Option 4: Self guided tour

If you decide take option 2 with Turkish airlines or like us you want to do the tour the way you want, you can do a self- guided tour. After doing the guided tour, we realized that it is pretty easy to cover the key highlights on your own. Here are my recommendations to cover the highlights.

– There are several options to get from airport to city center. Choose what is convenient for you and here are some options.

– once you are city center, some highlights can be reached by walking. Here is a handy map by Istanbul clues of the city center. Other highlights can be reached by tram which runs frequently (need to have money/ coins to pay once you board or you can buy a pass). For more information about the trams please check this website

Hotels and other options within the airport

Istanbul airport has several options for resting or sleeping at the airport. Yotel is one option and you can rent by the hour. YOTEL is the only hotel located at IST Airport. It has two locations: one LANDSIDE (before immigration and passport control) and one AIRSIDE (in the transit area, accessible only with a valid boarding pass). Airside is better if you have an early flight and you would have done the immigration night before and you can getup and go. Reach out to the hotel for any questions (If you want to make an hourly or multi-night booking please contact istanbul.reservation@yotel.com or call +90 212 942 6666.

Second option is Istanbul Airport Sleeping Cabins -IGA Sleep Pods and you can rent these by hour. You can get more info on these pods here

Third option is IGA lounge, and you can access it for free if you have Priority pass or pay for access (Check IGA webpage for cost). This is one of the best lounges we have been to, and it has a huge selection for food and other amenities

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Checking off Bucket list- 7-day trip to Egypt Itinerary- Planning guide

Steps for Egypt trip planning:

  • Where: Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor
  • When: High season (cooler season) October to April. May is a shoulder season.
  • How many days: Minimum 6 full days but will be a busy schedule. Need at least 2 days in each place and travel time between the cities. 7-8 days would be ideal.
  • How: Book with a travel group or self-guided- Land or Nile cruise
  • Budget: $1,500-$2,500 per person for 6-7 days (Including flight, hotel, food, and transportation from US. Ave flight- $800-$1,500 per person, Hotels-$300-$ 600 per night, Nile cruise- $800-$1500 ave per person for 4 days (Based on April 2023 Cost))
  • Other details: Visa for Egypt (Check here for details)

Must visit places :

  • Egyptian Museum
  • Pyramids of Giza
  • Luxor temple
  • Karnak temple
  • Valley of kings
  • Hatshepsut temple
  • Edfu temple
  • Kom Ombu temple
  • Aswan Philae temple
  • Abu Simble
  • Boat/Faluka ride in Aswan

Good to do:

  • Easting Koshary in Cario
  • Dinner cruise
  • Camel ride
  • Hot air balloon ride in Luxor
  • Eating Nubian food in Aswan (Hot pot)
  • Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan
  • Visiting Nubian Village
  • Dandera temple
  • Alendria
  • Memphis

Download the itinerary here

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2 days in Iguazu falls-Brazil and Argentina- Trip planning guide

This itinerary is from Brazil side. This can be reversed and done from Argentinian side too. Overall, 2 full days are enough to do both sides and get the best out of the trip.

Hotel : Das Cataratas A Belmond Hotel-The only hotel inside the park on Brazilian side

Activities : Organized by concierge of the hotel

Download the itinerary here

Related posts:

Moonbows and rainbows- 2 days in Iguazu falls

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A different Perspective

From Palace to prison- heartbreak and love story of Shah Jahan

Shah Burj with Taj Mahal in the background


Fort of Agra is located little over a mile from the more famous monument in Agra- The Taj Mahal. With in this powerful fortress of red sandstones lies the imperial city of Moghuls. It was established by the Mughal emperor Akbar when Agra was the Mughal capital and served as royal residence and seat of government. There are several points of historical significance within the fort and for more information read this blog (The phrase Palace to Prison is also borrowed from the same blog).

One of the most fascinating story from Fort of Agra is the Shah Burj, also known as Mathammam referring to the octagonal plan of the building. Shah Burj is a small palace overlooking the Yamuna river within Agra Fort and has spectacular view of Taj Mahal and Yamuna revier. Shah Burj was originally built by Akbar, who used it for jharokha-e-darshan, a ‘window’ from which the emperor would provide his subjects a daily morning view of himself, to reassure them of his safety and well-being.

Shah Burj was rebuilt by Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1640 who put his own signature on the building. It is a marble octagonal tower which stands in close proximity to Diwan-i-Khas, was built by Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj mahal was also built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal and stands as a symbol of undying love and devotion.

Shah Burj

The dome of the building is topped by a gilded tower and the floor of the chamber is paved with marble so as to resemble a “pachisi” board ( Pachisi- traditional Indian cross and circle board game). The rooms are paved with light marble up to the top of the ceiling along with an open pavilion with a shallow lotus-shaped tank on the floor, featuring a water jet in the center. Floors, walls and ceiling are covered with delicate carvings.

Shah Burj Carvings
Interior of Shah Burj
Carvings on the column

There are several stories related to Shah Burj, one of these is that it was here that Shah Jahan, along with his daughter, Jahanara Begum, spent his remaining days after being imprisoned by his son and successor, Aurangzeb. In 1658 Shah Jahan became ill, and immediately all three of his sons started making a bid for power and Aurangzeb was able to seize Agra Fort and imprisoned his dad in the fort. The last thing Shah Jahan would have thought when designing and building this wonderful palace is that it would become his prison years later. It is said that during his final years of imprisonment in the chambers beside the Burj, Shah Jahan was supposed to have looked longingly out at the distant view of the Taj Mahal he had built for his empress Mumtaj. In January 1666 Shah Jahan passed away, and was buried next to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, at the Taj Mahal.

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A time for everything

Lake Moraine is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park and is situated in the valley of Ten Peaks. Lake Moraine is the only lake I visited twice when I was in Banff. First time I took a shuttle around 6.30AM and spent about 2 hours on the rock pile appreciating the azure blue color with ten peaks in the background. Second time I went during sunrise and had a very different view and colors as the sun lit up the valley of the ten peaks with pinks and gold.

         I missed going to Banff with brother and sister in 2001 and always regretted missing on that trip.  When we finally decided to go in 2023, the trip was riddled with changes. Original plan has to be scrapped as it didn’t fit our schedule and I had rescheduled entire trip 2 weeks before the original date.  When I looked at the weather forecast for the week we were going, it seemed likely that it is going to rain entire week and then threat of wildfires. There was no guarantee that we will have clear skies. I planned to go to Moraine Lake every day of our trip as our scheduled sunrise shuttle was on the last day and I didn’t want to take a chance of not seeing this lake in its fully glory.  As it turned out that we had perfect weather for the whole time we were in Banff and the day we went to see sunrise, we had a “Blue bird” day with perfect blue skies.

        As much as we like control things, we have no control over anything especially things like weather and we need learn to enjoy and appreciate each moment as it is presented to us- a lesson I am trying to learn and practice. I am grateful for the opportunities to appreciate true beauty of our world by letting go of expectations and practicing mindfulness, focusing on present moment.

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The Pale Blue Dot

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.”
Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

“Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles), as part of that day’s Family Portrait series of images of the Solar System. In the photograph, Earth’s apparent size is less than a pixel; the planet appears as a tiny dot against the vastness of space, among bands of sunlight reflected by the camera.Voyager 1, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and take one last photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of astronomer and author Carl Sagan. The phrase “Pale Blue Dot” was coined by Sagan in his reflections on the photograph’s significance, documented in his 1994 book of the same name.”(Pale Blue Dot – Wikipedia)

For a pale blue dot, our earth is definitely beautiful and filled with moments that take your breath away. As I grow older, I have learnt to appreciate this pale blue dot and everything it has to offer. Spiritually speaking, the pale blue dot image is a reminder that we are nothing but a speck in this wide space and it is on us to cherish the time we have on this pale blue dot.