day V: of ephesus and meryemana

On the 5th day of our journey across Turkey, we went to the great ruins of Ephesus. I bought some postcards while in Troy and I was excited because I saw this place of attraction in the postcards and there was some really beautiful architecture.

#10: GREAT RUINS OF EPHESUS

The pillars I saw at the entrance

This site is so huge, we didn't have the time to walk the entire site. There are much more we didn't see.

Some creatures I saw at the walls

Much of the city is in ruins, by earthquakes and wars. But there are still some interesting parts left.

day IV: of troy and pergamon

After crossing the Dardanelles Straits, we checked into a hotel at Canakkale. The next day, we were off to Troia or Truva, a place in Turkey, famous for Ruins of Troy.

#8: RUINS OF TROY

Miniature version at breakfast buffet

This town is famous for Troy. Everywhere, you see lots of Troy or Trojan Horse souvenirs. Having just watched the movie, "Troy", last month, I was especially ecstatic to visit this attraction.

The Trojan Horse comes to life~

At the entrance, you can see giant replica of Trojan Horse. It is two stories high and you can see a nice mural of trojan horse on the ground from the top.

"Oh, I just can't get enough~"

A song I have been liking lately:

"You Got Me" by Colbie Caillat

You're stuck on me

and my laughing eyes

I can't pretend though

I try to hide, I like you...

I like you...

I think I felt my heart skip a beat

I'm standing here and I can't hardly breathe, you got me, yeah

You got me...

The way you take my hand is just so sweet

And that crooked smile of yours

it knocks me off my feet....

day III: along the river and crossing the straits

Today was the day that we would be leaving Istanbul to Truva but we were going to spend the night at Kusadasi. Istanbul is mostly divided into 3 parts: The Asiatic region or Anatolia, the New European and the Old European. The 3% Europe region was called Thrace. Old European consisted of historical monuments, beautful architecture left by Byzantine and Ottoman Empires whilst the New European was mainly Istanbul's financial and business districts.

Dolmabache Palace

In the morning, as the bus passes through the city, you can get a glimpse of beautiful architectural buildings. We didn't get a chance to tour this palace, there was not enough time...

day II part 2: cannon palace and shopping

Topkapı Palace or Topkapi Sarayı was our next destination after having lunch. It is also within the compound of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. According to Eric, Topkapı means "Cannon Palace".

#4 TOPKAPI PALACE

Walking along the path to the palace

After getting our entrance tickets, we walked along a path to the main palace gate. Along the way, there are many beautiful buildings too, like Church of Hagia Eirene, that is now used as a music hall.

day II part 1: within lstanbul, all attractions are in close proximity

What I meant from the title was the fact that, all the sites of attraction in this post were within walking distance from one another so it made it easier to view all of them within one day. Turkey is a country rich in history, as it was once a Christian country and then it became Muslim country through Ottoman Empire rule.

#1 HIPPODROME SQUARE

Also known as Sultan Ahmet Meydani (Square). Hippodrome comes from Greek words "Hippos" meaning horse and "Dromos" meaning path or way. The area here used to be a chariot-racing track.

German or Kaiser-Wilhelm fountain

The German emperor presented this fountain to then Emperor of Turkey as token of friendship. Do look at the ceiling of the dome, its colours were beautiful.

day I: KL --> qatar --> istanbul

My roommates made it to Timothy Tiah's blog. Lol. Congrats Suz M and BB. Too bad I wasn't able to join them as I had exams the next day. T.T. *The link that made them famous*Click~!

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Overview of our journey from Istanbul to Ankara via tour bus

As you might have read from my previous post, yes, the blogger went to Turkey just around 2 weeks ago. This is the first time I traveled such a long distance, as previously I have only been to countries around Asia. Well, Turkey is Asia too, specifically 97% Asia and 3% of Istanbul is on the European Continent. Overall, this was one of the best holiday trips I have ever had. Turkey is so different from other Asian countries, a fresh breath of air. Furthermore, the history and culture there is so rich and so interesting. I really had loads of fun, seriously :)

I haven't blog a good long post for a while now and have not been doing much reading, either fiction or non-fiction so if my writing bores you, please forgive me. Hey, at least I warn you beforehand right? Lol.

I took gazillions of photos (okay, 1000+, previous was an exaggeration). But to ensure each post is concise, I will only put 15 photos in each post. 15 is also quite a lot, I think.