Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Near Gate 224, Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey Daily: 24 hours Before I take a month of break from updating this blog as I'll fly off to more exciting destinations starting from tomorrow, I shall do a quick post on the small, yet tranquil SkyTeam Lounge at Istanbul Ataturk Airport . That's the very first lounge without its own toilets that I've ever been to thus far.

Yesilkoy Neighbourhood, Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul Ataturk Airport is the biggest and busiest airport in Turkey. First opened in 1912 as a military airfield, it used to be called Yesilkoy Airport before being renamed in honour of the founder and first president of the country. It's located approximately 24 km to the west of the city centre.

17 Ataturk Street, Istanbul, Turkey There are more things that I want to write about Turkey, but for the time being, I shall move on to feature the last accommodation I stayed at before leaving the country: WOW Istanbul Hotel (5*). At the point of writing, it's one metro stop away from Istanbul Ataturk Airport before the latter moves to the Arnavutkoy district of the city.

Yerebetan Street, Istanbul, Turkey Daily: 9.00am - 5.30pm (winter) or 6.30pm (summer) Known as Yerebetan Sarnici (lit. Cistern Sinking into Ground) in Turkish, Basilica Cistern is the largest ancient underground water reservoir that lie beneath the city of Byzantium, which then became Constantinople and finally Istanbul as we know it today. It was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in 532.

Beyazit District, Istanbul, Turkey Mon-Sat: 8.30am - 7.00pm Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest covered market complex across the globe, spanning over 61 streets with more than 4,000 shops. It's often regarded as one of the first shopping malls in the world. In 2014, it topped the chart of the world's most visited tourist attractions with over 90 million visitors.

7 Atmeydani Street, Istanbul, Turkey Sat-Thu: 8.30am - 11.30pm, 1.00pm - 2.30pm, 3.30pm - 4.45pm Fri:  8.30am - 11.30pm, 1.30pm - 2.30pm, 3.30pm - 4.45pm I was once asked by a guide at Al-Fateh Grand Mosque in Manama, Bahrain, "Do you know the official name of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul?" I thought for a short while, and I could recall that it's Sultanahmet Mosque. The photo of the magnificent mosque below was taken from a rooftop terrace of a particular restaurant.

Kabasakal Street, Istanbul, Turkey Tue-Sun: 9.00am - 5.00pm (winter) or 7.00pm (summer) Situated at the lively Arasta Bazaar near Sultanahmet Mosque is a small museum that houses mosaics from the Byzantine period. They were unearthed by a group of British archaeologists from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the UK on two separate occasions: 1935-1938 and 1951-1954.

Cankurtaran District, Istanbul, Turkey Wed-Mon: 9.00am - 5.00pm (winter) or 7.00pm (summer) Six years after the conquest of Constantinople, the construction of Topkapi Palace began in 1459 under the order of Mehmed the Conqueror. Originally known as Yeni Sarayi (lit. New Palace) to distinguish it from the Old Palace at Beyazit Square, Topkapi Palace served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of sultans of the Ottoman Empire.

Alemdar Street, Istanbul, Turkey Tue-Sun: 9.00am - 5.00pm I took a detour from the courtyard of Topkapi Palace to go to Istanbul Archaeology Museums, which are made up of Archaeological Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient and Museum of Islamic Art. They house more than one million objects representing almost all of the eras and civilisations in world history.

1st Courtyard of Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey Wed-Mon: 9.00am - 4.00pm Hagia Irene was a church dedicated to the peace of God. It's one of the three shrines that the emperor in the past devoted to God's attributes, along with Hagia Sophia for wisdom and Hagia Dynamis for power. It serves as a museum and a concert hall today.

Hagia Sophia Square, Istanbul, Turkey Daily: 9.00am - 5.00pm (winter) or 7.00pm (summer) To make things merrier, I shall post on some of the places I went to during my first visit to the country. Pardon the quality of most of the photos as they were taken with my old camera phone. Hagia Sophia is one of the prides of the city, showcasing elements of Islam and Christianity in one building.

Kisikli Neighbourhood, Istanbul, Turkey Daily: 8.00am - 12 midnight With the help of my sister, my BFF and I finally made it to the Asian side of Istanbul. We'd wanted to go to the scenic Camlica Hill during our first visit to Turkey, but we didn't manage to. With the recent opening of the first half of the Uskudar-Cekmekoy metro line, it's now much easier to reach the hill by public transport.

92 Erzak Ambari Street, Istanbul, Turkey Mon-Sat: 8.00am - 7.00pm Sun: 9.30am - 7.00pm I've realised that I didn't go to many places during my second visit to Istanbul, Turkey as most of the time was spent wandering about at familiar places with my sister. One place that I finally got to visit is one of the most famous covered shopping complex that's affectionately known to many as Spice Bazaar.