A couple years back my family decided to spend a couple days in Istanbul, Turkey and explore the city. Needless to say it was a beautiful and captivating experience. When we first stepped out of the airport grounds, I instantly fell in love. The air was cool and breezy, the city was very green and you could hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the sand from every which way.

Before going off to sight-see the ancient museums and castles, we decided to walk around the town square where most tourists like us were. The architecture was very unique and rustic. You could tell the buildings were all carefully built and had been there for quite some time. Istanbul is known for its delicious variety of Mediterranean foods. There was one thing I ate there that I vividly remember because of how amazing it tasted. We ordered a whole chicken that was Turkish inspired not knowing what to expect. When they came out to the table there was a whole chicken completely covered in a layer of salt. The cook then lit the outer shell of salt on fire breaking it immediately revealing the chicken. It was probably the best chicken I’d ever had.

The next day consisted of us exploring the Castles and Museums of Istanbul. We went to the Topaki Palace first. The Topaki Palace was an amazing experience, mainly because all the buildings and artifacts have been in existence since almost the beginning of time. We also went to the Haga Sofia which is a Byzantine church-turned mosque-turned museum containing many different and amazing historical artifacts. Although we had a lot of walking to do it was definitely worth it.

To end things off we took a long relaxing cruise ride in the bay of Istanbul. The water was so blue and almost transparent. We even watched the sunset on the horizon and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Turkey was definitely an experience I will never forget. I recommend anyone looking for a nice vacation spot to plan a trip to Istanbul.