Istanbul is a wonderful city to travel to. It’s so nice for me to be in an international city that is clean, modern, and intellectually progressive. As a world travel destination, Istanbul rocks!
As the first international destination for my wife, it’s nice that it’s both Islamic and Modern and Secular. In short, we love Istanbul. Not much time to write at the moment, but I promise to give travel details in the near future.
Hard to believe I've never been here before.
It certainly is nice to be in the cradle of civilization. This city has been besieged more than any other in the history of the world. Everyone has wanted it. It’s the only city which lives in two continents, it is literally the only city in the world which is Asian and European by geography. It is ancient, beautiful, modern, and cool.
Istanbul is European and Asian Both
The original city was on the European side and surrounded by water on three sides. It grew to be the trading center of the world uniting three continents in trade. Europe, Africa, and Asia. Once called Constantinople it was a place that was synonymous with civilization. It still is.
The Haghia Sophia (Aya Sophia) was built in the 6th century by the Christian Roman Emperor Justinian and has been a pilgrimage site ever since. From church to mosques to museum. for nearly a thousand years it was the largest church in the world and then it became one of the world’s great mosques after Mehmet the conqueror took the city.
Istanbul really is this beautiful
Our time here is only just beginning but we’ve already walked through thousands of years of history and made some great friends. As I said, this will be short, but I’ll be giving more details in the near future.
istanbul, constantinople, haghia sophia, turkey, blue mosque, sultan ahmet
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About Vago Damitio
Vago Damitio (@vagodamitio) is the Editor-in-Chief for Vagobond. He jumped ship from a sinking dotcom in 2000 and decided to reclaim his most valuable commodity, time. He bought a VW bus for $100, moved into it and set out on a journey to show the world that it was possible to live life on your own terms. That journey took him from waking up under icy blankets in the Pacific Northwest to waking up under palm tress in Southeast Asia. Three years later, his first book, Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond was published. After diving into the Anthropology of Tourism and Electronic Anthropology at the University of Hawaii (with undeclared minors in film and surf) he hit the road again in 2008. Since that time,he's lived primarily in Morocco and Turkey, married a Moroccan girl he couchsurfed with, and become a proud father. He's been to more than 40 countries, founded a successful online travel magazine (this one!), and still doesn't have a boss. Life is good. You can also find him on Google+ and at Facebook