First stop: Seville

Colorful streets of Seville

We just returned from our first lengthy family vacation in Spain and Portugal, enjoying quite a bit of sun and sand. We headed south for ten days, and even had a few days back at home with BK during the remainder of his two weeks off.

We hit Seville, Spain first, flying from Geneva directly to Seville. Baby K slept the whole way there, which was awesome, and perfect timing for her afternoon nap. We arrived in Seville later in the afternoon, just in time to do a little exploring around the city, enjoy some tapas, and let Baby K get some energy out in a park near the river. We stayed at Palacio Villapanes, which is a former palace, was really nice, and is near all of the sights in the central city.

People enjoying the evening on a plaza in Seville

The city is beautiful and has quite a variety of architecture. This was my first time in Spain (BK's been to Barcelona) and Seville really feels like Spain and has the typical Spanish lifestyle. We first stopped at Metropol Parasol, which is a big wooden sculpture located near old town. It was a quick walk from our hotel, and is just really interesting to look at. It stands out, is huge, and is completely different from anything else around.

Metropol Parasol

We also stopped and had some tapas then thought we should let Baby K get a little energy out, so we took her to a park for some walking and swinging (her favorite). After that we headed back to the hotel to put Baby K down, meet the babysitter, and then go to dinner at a tapas bar by the Cathedral. Which, by the way, tapas are perfect for BK and I, just little plates of a taste of good Spanish food.

Perfect weather for a park in Seville

Saturday I reserved a tour of the city for us with Feel the City Tours. It was just not that great, but I think it's because the guide assigned to our group wasn't good. I wouldn't recommend them. Our guide spoke rather softly (not great when walking around the city), would turn away when explaining things, and many other things. It was really unfortunate. BK and I actually used Baby K needing to eat lunch as an excuse and ducked out of the tour early. Even though the tour wasn't great we did get some good info.

Moorish architecture

After leaving the tour we went to the city bullring and then climbed Torre del Oro to enjoy some views, before enjoying more tapas for lunch. One good thing our tour guide did recommend was to hit the palace around 2ish for the least crowded time, so we went there after lunch.

Torre del Oro

Bull fighting ring

I would say the palace is somewhat similar to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, in that it has a lot of Moorish influence in the design. The Palace is really beautiful, with lots of ceramic tile and ornate Spanish decor. Additionally, the gardens surrounding the palace are very nice, with lots of lush greenery and native plants. There were many people there just enjoying the beautiful weather and outdoor space.

Palace courtyard

Interior palace room

Family pic in the gardens

After the palace we went to Seville's Cathedral. It is massive. The day before I kept walking around it commenting about how big it was. Turns out it is the third largest cathedral in the world, behind St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul's in London; crazy. In addition, Christopher Columbus' tomb is in the cathedral. My pictures don't do it justice, but it is an amazing place to see.

Cathedral exterior

View from Torro del Oro

Columbus' tomb

Cathedral interior

While we were visiting the cathedral, BK and I also go back into one of our pre-Baby K habits of climbing towers. Giralda Tower is the bell tower of the cathedral, and is a former minaret from Moorish times. The tower provides great views, especially if the weather is perfect, like it was for us.

Cathedral tower

Baby K and I at the top

Last, but not least for the sights of the day, we went to Plaza de Espana. It is a plaza that was built for an exposition in the 1920s, and is quite large. Located in a park, it has a large plaza, and a moat-type thing around it with some fountains. It's a landmark you should see when in the the city, and we also stopped to feed Baby K dinner in the park as well. I think this might have been the day when we walked 30,000 steps!!

Plaza de Espana

That night BK and I quickly visited the oldest tapas bar in Seville, which I didn't think much of, then we went to see a flamenco show. We wanted a traditional experience, so we went to Casa de la Guitarra; no meal, no fancy anything, just flamenco. I really enjoyed it and thought it was great. BK wasn't such a fan, as he thought the musicians were a little over the top. I liked the whole thing, and think it's something you should definitely do when in Spain.

Oldest tapas bar in Seville

Traditional flamenco

The next day we went to the Straight of Gibralter, but more on that later. Still to come from this trip: Straight of Gibralter, road tripping in Portugal, Sagres and the Algarve in Portugal, and Lisbon. Baby K is doing some serious teething and because of that needs some serious cuddling this week, so not sure how far I'll get, but hopefully I'll get to update you soon!

Istanbul...a few more things

Blue Mosque at night

As you can tell, our long weekend in Istanbul was packed full of seeing beautiful sights, eating great food and lots of walking. The weather cooperated as well; the forecast called for rain all weekend, but it ended up being pretty sunny all weekend. I told BK I was pretty sure this was because I packed my rain boots, and would now be taking them anywhere we wanted sun.

Saturday we covered all of the really well-known sights with a tour guide. I liked that this was our first day because it also gave us the chance to ask lots of questions we had about the history, city, and culture. As in most of the cities we visit, BK and I found a babysitter, so he and I were able to go out to dinner every night while there. Yay for couple time!

In case you didn't know, Istanbul is the gateway from Europe to Asia. The Intercontinental Bridge connects the two continents, with 60 percent of the population living on European side, and 40 percent living on the Asian side. 

Intercontinental Bridge between Europe and Asia

Sunday we took a Bosporus River cruise so that we could see both sides of the city. The cruise is on a public ferry, but it wasn't too crowded and I would guess most people there were tourists. I would recommend doing a river cruise if you're there; you can see some of the city that you probably wouldn't get to see otherwise.

Restaurant boats near the dock

Fishing in the Bosporus

Lulled to sleep on the boat cruise

Additionally, we went to the spice market, which was similar to the Grand Bazaar, but smaller and with more spices (obviously). After our river cruise we stopped for lunch, then did some walking around a part of the city we hadn't seen yet, just north of the Golden Horn. We stopped at the Galata Tower, but at the time the line was too long and we were ready to move along. We did some shopping (way cheaper than Switzerland), stopped to feed Baby K dinner, then headed back to the hotel.

Spice market

Monday we only had half a day, so we decided to go back to Galata Tower; it was sunny and the day was perfect to get a great view of the city. This was a great time to visit, as we didn't have to wait in line at all, and took the elevator straight to the top. The tower was built in 1348, and has been maintained and redone very well. Monday also happened to be my birthday, so we stopped at the cafe in the tower, which just also happened to have Black Forest Cake, which is my favorite and something I try to have every year.

Galata Tower

Enjoying my birthday Black Forest Cake

A few other details that I thought I would share, in case you're planning a visit...

We stayed at TomTom Suites; it was a great hotel that used to be a Franciscan house. It has a really convenient location and very helpful staff. Our room wasn't perfect for Baby K, but only in the sense that I didn't book one with a separate area for her. She slept in the (very large) bathroom...don't judge- it worked for us.

Friday night we ate at the restaurant in the hotel, Nicole. It is rated one of the best restaurants in Istanbul, and rightly so. We were very pleasantly surprised, as sometimes you don't really know what you'll get with restaurants in hotels. They have a set menu of modern takes on Turkish food, with wine pairings from Turkey. All really good- highly recommend.

Yum!

I wish I could remember where we ate lunch on Saturday, but I just took a picture of the food, and forgot to get the name. Also, Saturday night we ate a restaurant that was recommended to us. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst dining experiences we've had in a long time. The view of the Intercontinental Bridge was great, but that's about it.

Intercontinental Bridge at night

Our Sunday night meal was also a meal full of traditional Turkish dishes. It was a bit hard to find, in a neighborhood close to the Blue Mosque. When we travel you always try to find some places that offer traditional food from the region.

BK with our cold appetizers

So, I guess that about wraps our trip to Istanbul up. We had about 10 days at home, then were off to Spain and Portugal for 10 days. Good times...that I hope to write about soon!

View from Galata Tower

Istanbul: a busy day hitting the top sights

So here we sit, drinking some port we brought back from Portugal, enjoying being home after a ten day vacation in Spain and Portugal. It was a really great time away, but before I tell you about our latest adventure, we're going to Istanbul first.

Enjoying the sun in front of the Blue Mosque

BK took a long weekend around my birthday, and we headed south to discover Istanbul. Istanbul has been on BK's list of places he wanted to visit for quite some time, and two years in we finally made it there. Lots of people in the US asked if it was safe to go, but every expat we talked to over here who had been really enjoyed it and were not concerned about safety. Istanbul is a big city, but just like NYC, Paris, London, or any other destination, you just have to use some common sense.

We did quite a lot in Istanbul, but I thought in this post I would share our Saturday with you, when we saw the most well-known sights. We arrived Friday evening, with enough time to feed Baby K, give her some crawl around time in the hotel, and put her down before going to dinner. A good arrival, but nothing overly exciting.

Headed to the hotel...no car seat needed

Saturday we booked an all-day private walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was really great. She was extremely knowledgeable about Turkey, and especially Istanbul, and it really came out in her time with us. She was also great with Baby K, which was an added bonus. In general, I would say we hit the top sights in Istanbul, especially for first time visitors.

Palace grounds

Palace hall exterior

We started at Topkapi Palace. It's not what you think of when you picture your typical European palace, which is normally a huge estate with one large building that goes on forever and is extremely ornate. Istanbul has a history that comes from numerous places around the world, but the Ottomans were probably most influential and were also the ones who built the palace. As nomads they would have numerous buildings in their settlements, all with varying purposes. Similarly, Topkapi Palace is set up with numerous buildings scattered around, all with specific purposes, along with a number of courtyards for various uses.

Palace entrance

Crest above Palace entrance

The buildings are all beautiful, and are all somewhat different from one another. The kitchen is huge, and at one time had up to 1300 people working to feed all the people in the palace. Its a large brick building with a system of chimneys to push heat out and bring in fresh air. We also visited the guards quarters, which was just newly opened; the treasury, which has many jewels and valuables; the relics room, full of religious relics- including Muhammad's sword; and the harem section, which is where the Sultan and his wife(s) lived.

Palace ceiling

Sultan's hosting room

Prince's room

Next we visited the Hagia-Irene Church, which is technically part of the Palace. It's was the first church built in Constantinople, completed in 537. It was the only church not turned into a mosque by the Ottomans, but only because it was used as an armory. It is a pretty amazing thing to see.

Hagia Irene

We then made a quick stop for lunch (more on that later) and walked across what used to be the Hippodrome. It now has a number of monuments, including obelisks from ancient times.

Obelisks in the Hippodrome

After walking through the Hippodrome, we visited the Blue Mosque. The name is not actually Blue Mosque, only tourists call it that; the name is Sultan Ahmed Mosque, named for the Sultan who built it.

Entering the Blue Mosque

I'll be honest, I expected to be completely blown away by the Blue Mosque, but other sights in Istanbul wowed me much more. I'm not sure if it was all the people, or kind of just being herded in, or what, it just wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, enormous, and full of history, so it's a must see when you're there.

Me and Baby K; shoes off and head covered

Interior of Blue Mosque

After the Blue Mosque we went across to Hagia Sophia- my favorite one we saw. This building has an extremely interesting history. It's been a church, a mosque, and is now a museum. People worshiping- church or mosque- is not allowed, as to not anger others. It's just really interesting to see how changes were made and ideas merged to fit what the building was at a time.

Huge interior of Hagia Sophia

Outside of Hagia Sophia

Mosaic in Hagia Sophia

Mixed religious symbols

After all the big monuments, we visited Basilica Cistern. It's a former underground reservoir (one of many) initially built to protect the city's water supply when the city was under siege. People visit this large one, but it can also be rented out for events as well.

Basilica Cistern

Last, but not least, we visited the Grand Bazaar. It is a huge maze of shops and vendors of all sorts. It goes on for many blocks and includes different sections for sweets, scarves, leather, silver, gold, jewels, and many, many other things. There are also tea shops who have delivery people running all over the market to take tea to whomever calls for it. We didn't buy anything, but did enjoy walking around and taking it all in.

Grand Bazaar Gate 1

Interior of Grand Bazaar

Seem like a long day?? It was, but it was full of tons of history, lots of really interesting sights, and a better understanding of Istanbul. I have more to tell about the rest of our time there, but I'll save that for another time. We really liked Istanbul and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in going.

And to end things on a cute note, this is my favorite picture of BK and Baby K from the day. I took it of them at the castle, apparently making one another laugh. Love.