Eurotrip 2022

boomy · Oct 30, 2022

We changed hotels on our second night.
Same chain, different area.

Hilton Munich Park

Once again we got the standard executive room upgrade.

It had balcony with nice views of the park.

For dinner we booked a popular wine bar in the city.

GRAPES Weinbar - Home

Enjoy high quality meat & fish, vegan Maki rolls and freestyle Sushi. Close to the Münchner Freiheit in Munich Schwabing.

www.grapes-weinbar.de

Impressive selection by the glass, all served with Zalto glassware. The food was good too, can’t fault this place.

That’s it, our last night in Germany.

Next destination, Istanbul

EestiTiger · Oct 31, 2022

boomy said:
Munster

One last stop in France was the town of Munster.

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Found nice looking restaurant for lunch.

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This is where the Munster stinky cheese comes from so it was only appropriate to have Munster Fondue for lunch (with a love heart shaped potato).

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I had Cordon Bleu.

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White chocolate and blueberry cake for dessert.

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Food was excellent and now it’s time to leave France and drive to our next destination, Switzerland

Amazing photos of these stunning little villages. I shouldn't be reading this thread when I am hungry though! Food looks incredible

boomy · Oct 31, 2022

Day 18

The TK MUC-IST flight was nothing special maybe apart from the fact it was served by wide bodied A330. We flown Y on a cheap ticket purchased via Amex travel.

Upon landing in IST we managed to get scammed twice in less than one hour! Firstly the car I booked via Klook and was supposed to take us to the hotel never showed up. The hire car customer service which is based in the US couldn’t even find our booking! Then I’ve ordered an Uber, the driver came to the meeting point had a look at us and kept driving. Few minutes later he sent a text saying he has some problem with police… yea right. Needless to say he didn’t cancel the ride and waited for me to do so. Eventually I did and got charged cancellation fee. By that state I was upset, it was hot outside we were both angry and sweating so I said let’s take a meter taxi and hope we don’t get scammed the 3rd time

The meter taxi guy was an older gentleman who seemed alright. The ride took an hour and meanwhile I checked online how much it should roughly cost. This time everything was ok, no scam but boy not a good start Turkey not good at all!

Spoiler alert, things got much better since and we were also reimbursed both by Klook and Uber

boomy · Oct 31, 2022

Hagia Sofia Mansions (Curio by Hilton Hotel)

The taxi took us to a police checkpoint and said sorry that’s as far as I can go. Cars are not allowed beyond this point. We both looked at each other thinking WTF is that another Turkish scam?! We took out the luggage and went to ask the police how we get to our hotel. The policeman said Oh you are staying at Hagia Sofia mansions, very good

I call buggy to take you. Hmm ok…

Apparently the hotel is within Hagia Sofia mosque complex which cars can’t access so the hotel is using buggies to shuttle guests around.

The green building. This is the main building with lobby and some of the rooms. We checked in there but stayed elsewhere.

In Istanbul almost every business has its own cat, it’s a thing there apparently. This is Curio’s cat and she’s pregnant so they let her sleep in the lobby.

The patio where a la carte breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner served. Just one of the hotel’s restaurants.

boomy · Oct 31, 2022

We got about 5 levels upgrade from base room to Topkapi Suite (the real Topkapi palace is just next door).

The suite was in another are on the other side of the complex, about 5 minutes drive by buggy.

It even came with its own mini Hammam.

Welcome amenity.

We were very impressed, the design is so unique with so much character. Often chain hotels tend to be generic and soulless, this property is the exact opposite.

craven morehead · Oct 31, 2022

Playing catch up. Looks great so far

boomy · Oct 31, 2022

To demonstrate how close is our room to the main attractions in Istanbul, these photos takes outside our room. On one side is the hotel, on the other (of the wall) is Hagia Sofia Mosque and at the end of the street is Topkapi Palace.

The Cistern Spa and Hammam, all part of the hotel.

I can’t praise this hotel enough, it’s 10/10.

craven morehead · Oct 31, 2022

boomy said:
Some more photos of Eguisheim.

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Your photos are just sensational

jase05 · Nov 1, 2022

boomy said:
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Ahh, gorgeous photos and so many memories.
On our last visit to Innsbruck we stayed at the Goldener Adler Hotel that you have photographed. Was a beautiful location

boomy · Nov 1, 2022

Hagia Sofia Mosque

Starting our visit with what is probably the most important monument in Istanbul. Built as an Orthodox Church in 360AD then transformed to a Mosque once the Ottomans took over in 1453 until Ataturk came to power and created modern Turkey. He commanded to restore Christian symbols and in 1935 transformed HS into a museum. In 2020 president Erdogan transformed HS once again into a mosque.

Interesting to see both Christian and Muslim symbols in one building, particularly at a mosque!

We were told many muslims don’t like to pray there because all those Christian symbols. There are many other places to pray in the city. Istanbul has over 3,000 mosques, second only to Cairo for most mosques in the world.

John in Melbourne · Nov 1, 2022

boomy said:
Strasbourg Cathedral is an impressive building. I’m not a religious person and honestly don’t care too much about Christian monuments but some buildings simply take your breath away and this one is just wow, masterpiece!

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Built in the Gothic style, took about 400 years until completed in 1439. At 142 meters it was the tallest building in the world until 1874. It’s full name is Cathedrale Notre Dane de Strasbourg and indeed it looks a lot like the one in Paris which was completed 100 years earlier. Was hard to take good photo of the cathedral but can see the resemblance in the this photo below.

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First we went to have a look inside.

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Then we climes 332 steps to see the city from above at the height of 66 meters.

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Then we went back to Petite France for lunch with a view.

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As much as I like German sausages and sauerkraut I was looking forward to the more sophisticated French cuisine.
I’ve ordered Foie Gras and snails in garlic butter with a glass of Crèmant d’Alsace which is their (very good) local sparkling wine. This is my heaven!

boomy said:
some buildings simply take your breath away and this one is just wow, masterpiece!

I agree!!! The Cologne Cathedral is also one of those. I've been to Cologne 3 times, mainly to see the Cathedral.

boomy · Nov 1, 2022

Day 19

First half of the day we took a walk through old town.

Hagia Sofia.

Sultanahmet AKA Blue mosque.

Another mosque I can’t remember it’s name.

Grand Bazaar.

RooFlyer · Nov 1, 2022

boomy said:
Hagia Sofia Mosque

The green carpet is pretty new - used to be marble. I guess its more appropriate for a mosque. The 3 pairs of 'drapes' high up on one end are concealing some Christian themed mosaics. I guess the ones at the entrance/exit aren't 'in the mosque'.

And it looks like the scaffolding in one corner has gone - they were trying to stop the first level gallery from collapsing!

boomy · Nov 1, 2022

RooFlyer said:
The green carpet is pretty new - used to be marble. I guess its more appropriate for a mosque. The 3 pairs of 'drapes' high up on one end are concealing some Christian themed mosaics. I guess the ones at the entrance/exit aren't 'in the mosque'.

And it looks like the scaffolding in one corner has gone - they were trying to stop the first level gallery from collapsing!

Yes the carpets are necessary since everyone must take their shoes off now that it’s an active mosque again. They did left a small part of the marble exposed to show how the original floor looks.

You are correct again, the drapes are concealing some monkeys IIRC. I think statues are not allowed in Islam (also not allowed in Judaism).

boomy · Nov 2, 2022

The second half of the day we spend doing cruise on the Bosphorus. It was nice, for the first hour or so but at some point it got too cold and windy and we had enough. It is special though cruising between Europe and Asia.

Hagia Sofia.

Yeni Cami Mosque.

Galata Tower.

Dolmabahce Palace

Conrad hotel where we will spend our last night in Istanbul.

Otakoy Mosque

boomy · Nov 2, 2022

Day 20

Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns beneath the city that provided a water filtration system for the buildings nearby. This underground chamber measures approximately 138 meters by 64.6 meters. It was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 532.

The entrance was just 5 minutes walk from our hotel room.

Giant Medusa heads support two pillars at the back of the cistern, and why they are there remains a mystery. One of the Medusa heads is sideways and the other is upside down. Some believe that the stones scavenged from the Roman ruins may have just been the right size and shape to prop up the pillars. Other historians theorize that the early Christians who built the cistern may have purposely placed the pagan statues upside down in a bold statement of faith.

boomy · Nov 2, 2022

Taksim Square

Istiklal Avenue

Istiklal Avenue historically known as the Grand Avenue of Pera, in the historic Beyoğlu district, is an elegant 1.4 kilometre pedestrian street and one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul.

Heaps of dessert shops around, we could resist.

Knafeh, Baklava, Sherbet ice cream and Turkish tea

Galata Tower

Considered among the oldest towers in the world Galata Tower was first built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinianos in 507-508 AD. It provided excellent surveillance of the city and had crucial military importance. Later was used as a fire detection tower during the Ottoman Empire before it was converted into a prison during the rule of Sultan Suleiman 'The Magnificent'.

View from the tower.

Going down…

boomy · Nov 6, 2022

Day 21

Europe to Asia (and back)

Today we went to check out the Asian side of Istanbul.

On the way from our hotel to the ferry we passed by the historic Orient Express station which is currently being refurbished.

Ferry to Kadikoy - the port to Asia.

The Asian part is known to have younger, less religious population. There are many bars and restaurants and it’s far easier and cheaper to get alcohol. We walked there during daytime when most places were closed, better to go there later in the evening.

The food is cheap and specialty is Balik Ekmek (fish sandwich).

Takes a while to prepare, there’s so much smoke coming from the grill that two men need to constantly switch places to breathe some fresh air.

The Bull of Kadikoy has an interesting story.

The Nomadic Travels of Kadıköy’s Famous Bull Statue

The 'Fighting Bull' on Istanbul's Asian Side remains a historic landmark for the Kadıköy district – but however did it get there?

theculturetrip.com

Later we took the ferry back to Europe and went to try traditional sixteen century Hammam very close to our hotel.

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse

Hürrem Sultan Hamamı | İstanbul Hamamı, Tarihi Türk Hamamı

Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, İstanbul Sultanahmet'te Mimar Sinan tarafından tasarlanmış olup hamam ve masaj terapileriyle hizmetinizde. Hemen rezervasyon yaptırın.

www.hurremsultanhamami.com

It’s not cheap but boy what an experience!
They scrub and bathe and massage you, the full royal (or sultan) treatment. Highly recommended to try at least once when in Turkey.

boomy · Nov 6, 2022

Day 22

Conrad Istanbul

On our last day in Istanbul our hotel was fully booked so we had to move and decided to check out Conrad which is located in Besiktas, about 30 minutes drive from HSM.

We got upgrade to large suite with kitchen and laundry.

The executive lounge.

The vibe was totally different to HSM. Conrad felt more like a classic business hotel, albeit a very nice one.

boomy · Nov 6, 2022

Main attraction in Besiktas area is Dolmabahçe Palace.

The palace was home to six Sultans from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. A law that went into effect on March 3, 1924, transferred the ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here. Atatürk spent the last days of his medical treatment in this palace, where he died on November 10, 1938.