Transiting in Istanbul (again)

I recently had a business trip to Geneve, Switzerland, and again, I deliberately choose Istanbul for my transit. 

Bosan dengan postingan saya tentang Istanbul? Belum kaaan..kalau iya, maafkaaaan ya. Soalnya memang seperti ada sesuatu di kota ini yang kerap memanggil saya untuk kembali. I know, I have been visiting this city numerous time but I have to admit that I can't stop coming back to this cradle of civilization.

Perhaps, this is my 9th time transiting in Istanbul and I gotta to admit always enjoy it :). 

For sure there are a lot of interesting places to see and to explore. 
Variety of food to taste and buy plus lovely handicrafts to bring home :). 
Okay, call me lame but speaking about handicrafts, before deciding to transit in Istanbul, I broke one of my purple hand-made Turkish bowl at home. Somehow I immediately decided to stop again in this city and  put it on top of my list to get some  and bring it back to NYC. What a mission, right :).

Jadi ceritanya...gara-gara mangkok ungu kesayangan yang saya beli dari Istanbul  pecah (karena salah saya sendiri hiiks), akhirnya saya memutuskan untuk mampir lagi ke kota ini. Kebetulan memang ada tugas dari kantor, jadi judulnya sekalian mampir. Misinya mencari mangkok pengganti :). 

a glimpse of my transit in Istanbul

So I started the journey quite early in the morning. 
Arriving at Istanbul at 6.30, I was out on the subway at 7.15. 
Destination: Sultanahmet historical area. I knew this place quite well and the trip downtown with subway and metro is very easy.

Tiba di pagi hari, saya sudah menetapkan hati untuk jalan ke daerah Sultanahmet. Setiap mampir di sini, memang daerah ini yang saya tuju terlebih dahulu, karena akses ke sana mudah dan saya sudah hapal hehehe. Kira-kira perlu waktu 30 - 40 menit menuju ke pusat kota tua yang bersejarah ini dari bandara jika kita menggunakan metro dan tram. Jadi, usai sholat subuh (karena winter, matahari terbit agak siang), sambil menikmati udara pagi yang segar, saya pun langsung bergegas keluar dari bandara.

Always love the colorful mosaics :)

By the time I came out of the arrival hall, I directly went to the money changer to get some Turkish Lira. 1 USD was about 2.9 TL so it wasn't that bad. I brought some TL notes and coins from my previous trip but obviously it won't be enough :). Not with some shoppings I have in mind.

Then, still in the airport, I went down to the basement and bought jetons, the special coins you would need for using public transport, from the machine. From the airport to Sultanahmet area, I will need 2 jetons. But considering that I would stop in Taksim, I would need some extra. So I got 6 jetons for safety.

Masih di sekitar bandara, yang pertama saya lakukan adalah menukar uang dengan Turkish Lira. Alhamdulillah USD lumayan bagus nilai tukarnya, sekitar 2.9 TL per Dollarnya. Setelah menukarkan secukupnya (sambil menghitung oleh-oleh dan mangkon yang ingin saya beli :)), saya pun membeli jetons, sejenis kepingan plastik yang kita pakai untuk menggunakan metro dan tram.  Semuanya ada di mesin otomatis dekat pintu masuk menuju tangga ke bawah tempat kita menunggu metro. 

Going down, the subway heading to Zeytinburnu, where I would need to stop and take tram heading to Sultanahmet, was already waiting. 15 minutes after, I was already in Zeytinburnu and took the tram for another 20 minutes ride to Sultanahmet. It was very crowded, as many students and workers were taking the tram as well.

cloudy morning

Then I was just heading directly to the Blue Mosque. 

Having my morning Dhuha prayer there, admiring the golden, elaborated dome ...

As I said previously, I'll never get tired of enjoying this place whenever I got the chance.

Keep coming back for more to kneel and speak with my Creator under that magnificent dome. The peaceful feeling is priceless. 

Setelah kurang lebih 35 menit di perjalanan menggunakan metro dan tram, saya pun tiba di Sultanahmet. Udara pagi yang agak mendung tidak mengendurkan semangat saya untuk segera menuju salah satu tempat favorit saya, Masjid Biru. Cerita lengkap tentang Masjid indah ini pernah saya tulis dalam a little note on Istanbul: Trail of civilization #2 Blue Mosque (cntd).

Ada banyak doa yang terselip saat saya menikmati keindahan buatan manusia yang didedikasikan hanya untuk Penciptanya. Termasuk agar teman-teman saya tercinta bisa juga merasakan sensasi damai yang sama di sini :).

never get tired of it :)

Setelah itu, saya kemana lagi ya? 
Transiting in Istanbul (again) makes me think of more places to explore.

Hmmm... setelah kaki melangkah ke sana ke mari, saya pun nyasar ke tempat yang baru :)
Mau tau ke mana?

Bersambung lagi niiiih ceritanya :)
To be continued