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Background music playing. We just arrived in Istanbul and I have to
say this is a place that is love at first sight. I'm absolutely loving it here. The
weather is cool. I've been able to walk around without sweating. I'm loving the food and
there are just so many random and quirky things going on all at once. Like I just weighed
myself on a bridge. Background music playing.
What are you about to do over here? I just purchased a little plate of some seeds
or nuts here. And I'm going to go feed some pigeons. Alright, let's go feed them. They
look hungry. Get them to come to you. Maybe they'll eat out of your hand.
Those birds look a bit overfed and they weren't too interested in what Sam was feeding them.
Background music playing. We've been looking for souvenirs to take back
home. I would definitely recommend stocking up on these sweets.
Background music playing. So we are back at our little apartment that
we're renting here on Osmanby in Istanbul and we wanted to finish our first impressions
video. So after half a day of sightseeing I would say that Istanbul is very pedestrian
friendly. We were able to walk around a lot and see lots of the main attractions.
So someone underwent a drastic transformation since this morning. What happened to your
face Sam? I went for a proper shave at a barber and it was really affordable and wonderful.
I don't know if anyone has ever had a wet / proper shave at a barber. It feels a hundred
times better than doing it yourself. And one of the things that we've really liked so far
about Istanbul is that it has been more affordable than what we had expected. Like my shave didn't
cost much. Four dollars or something like that. We seriously can't wait to explore more
of the city in the coming days. Background music playing.
Today I'm giddy like a kid in a candy shop. That's because I'm in a candy shop and I'm
coming to try one of my favorite desserts - Turkish Delight.
So it comes in all shapes, flavors and colors. I think we're going to try sample a mix of
everything. Background music.
Love the samplers here. Some sampling today. How is it? It's really nice. We're taking
some with us. I've got a menu here with such a wide selection
of Turkish Delight, I don't even know where to begin. Come take a look. We've got strawberry,
we've got pomegranate, lemon, orange, kiwi. Background music playing.
She's here finally. Yes. We're eating Turkish Delight. We were waiting for her. Six months.
Background music playing. So this is my plate of Turkish Delight. I've
got pomegranate with pistachio and nuts and it's covered in shredded coconut and I am
not sharing with Sam because he won't share his with me.
Oooh lala. Mmmmmm. Hahaha. You're reacting to food like me. I'm reacting to him. Ask
me. And I've got strawberry Turkish Delight. These
are my favorite. Ooh, I've got a sweet tooth and my sweet tooth is in heaven right now.
I was first introduced to Turkish Delight while reading the Lion, the Witch and The
Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I became intrigued as a young child and I had to try it out.
It instantly became one of my favorite candies and now here I am as an adult eating in again
in Turkey. So I got myself a nice little glass of Turkish
tea over here. Sam, what did you get? And I have some apple tea. I'm going to try it.
Oh, that's really nice. It tastes a lot like a warm apple cider. It's really sweet and
it's got a strong after-taste. Turkish Delight come in many different flavors.
This one here is what you would call a very simple one. It's just got icing sugar covering
it. It doesn't have any nuts. The most expensive ones from what I've seen are the ones that
have pistachios and all other kinds of nuts stuffed inside.
Background music playing. We took care of that plate, so much for my
diet today. Singing to Mission impossible song.
Today it's my birthday and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by going into
the Grand Bazaar right behind me. We're going shopping.
Background music playing. So we made it to the Grand Bazaar. This is
one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the entire world and it takes up sixty
one streets and it has over three thousand shops though I have a feeling it's still growing
and spreading out across the city. Background music playing.
So inside the market there are different alleys that specialize in different things. You have
an area where you can just buy jewelry, an area where it is rugs and an area where you
can get slippers, you can get shoes, you can get. You name it you can find it here. Yes.
Background music playing. It's always crowded here at the Grand Bazaar
but the best time to come is early in the morning. There is not as many people.
Background music playing. Well, I have a reputation of being a man of
many hats. Well, this is my new birthday hat. It came in at three Lira which is about a
dollar fifty. I think it was a great purchase. Thank you for the present. Happy birthday.
Yeah! Background music playing.
Background music playing. We're visiting the Basilica Cistern. It's
the largest of all of the cisterns. There are several hundred here in Istanbul and this
is by far the most impressive. Background music playing.
So I think I just did that for good luck. There is this one special column with a little
hole and people are sticking in their thumbs and doing a full circle with their hand. So,
let's hope there is good fortune coming my way.
Background music playing. So the Basilica Cistern has three hundred
and thirty six marble columns. They are nine meters in height and they are spaced at four
meters in between each of them. The Cisterns were built during the 6th Century
during the Byzantine Empire under the rule of Justinian.
Background music playing. So we just saw two Medusa heads. One upside
down and one on the side. Nobody knows where they came from people believe they're from
an old Roman building. Background music playing.
So Istanbul is definitely a city for cat lovers. It's a city we're going to show you all the
friendly kittens that are just strolling the streets. They are collectively taken care
of by the community. People just leave out food for them and little bowls with water.
So in a way they're Istanbul's pets. Look who has got my shirt. Aren't you having
fun with it. So cute. The back feet. Background music playing.
More music playing. Meow. Hi.
Meow. Meow. We're both pet lovers and we'd love to have
cats and dogs someday but because of our nomadic ways we can't so this has been a real treat
being able to walk on the streets - pet cats, feed them and just interact. It's been awesome.
Background music playing. So we are back in Istanbul again. We have
our museum passes which give us seventy two hours to explore the main attractions and
we are starting off with Topkapi Palace here behind us. And this is one of the oldest and
largest palaces in the whole world. Background music playing.
The sheer size of this place is impressive. At one point they had four thousand people
living here. Background music playing.
We've got amazing views from here of the Golden Horn.
Background music playing. Now we are about to enter the Chamber of Turbans
and this is where all of the turbans were worn by the Sultans were kept.
Background music playing. Circumcision room. Oh my!
Background music playing. It looks remarkably similar to the Sultan's
turban room. Background music playing.
That concludes our little visit to Topkapi Palace. The place is absolutely massive, so
we tried to cover as much as we could and hopefully we saw all the main sites.
Background music playing. Today we're outside of Hagia Sophia. One of
the true landmarks of Istanbul. And over the years this has been an Orthodox Cathedral,
a Roman Catholic Cathedral and a mosque. Background music playing.
It's nice being VIP with our Istanbul museum passes. We don't have to wait here.
Background music playing. So Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century
by Emperor Justinian. And at the time it was one of the largest Christian Basilicas in
the whole world. Background music playing.
So right now we're climbing up to the second level, so that we can get a better view of
the church. Background music playing.
Today they're doing some restoration work to preserve both its Christian and Muslim
past. So many of the Christian mosaics have been uncovered even though they had once been
plastered over. At the same time you can see some of the Arabic writing with readings from
the Koran. So it's a nice balance between the two faiths.
Background music playing.
Call to prayer. Background music playing.
This morning we are visiting the Blue Mosque also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque and it is
absolutely packed. We arrived here at around 10 am and the lines were wrapping all around
the courtyard. It took about 15 minutes to get in but it's absolutely worth it.
Background music playing. It's absolutely enormous here. There are six
towering minarets, two hundred and sixty windows and twenty thousand tiles just in the main
area. Background music playing.
As a man when visiting the mosque this is the type of outfit that you're allowed to
wear. T-shirt is fine. You're going to want to have long pants and you're going to want
to be wearing socks. And if you forgot some of these things they
do have other items that you can cover up with inside.
And as a girl you'll want to cover your head, your shoulders and your legs. And don't forget
the socks. Yes, and bring socks because you will have to take your shoes off before you
go in. Background music playing.
So our conclusion from visiting. It's a very impressive mosque. It's one of the largest
in the world. I loved going inside. It's amazing to see but crowds are something to contend
with definitely. Background music playing.