30 Before 30:- Instanbul.

Well, my 30 before 30 countdown has begun. For those who want to know what is before Feb 22, 2024, I have to visit 30 places: countries, or states, that I have not been to. My 29th birthday was the kickoff and well It's been about a month since I left for my European Birthday tour, so it's time to break down what Bree left to do. While I have already broken down my Sweden experience, overall I can say- I had a GREAT week. In 7 days I visited Turkey, London, Denmark, and Sweden, and BOY would I do it again (just not Stockholm, only Kiruna). This trip, in particular, was a culmination of experiences and in this blog and 2 additional blog, I will break down each one. First up Instanbul, making Turkey destination number 1.

Turkey (Istanbul to be specific)- This gem of a country is BEAUTIFUL. While I did not get to fully explore, I had about 36 hours here (for free) and I quickly learned that I need to come back to explore more. While booking my flight to London for my birthday on Turkish Airlines, I saw that I could choose between an 8-hour layover or a 22-hour layover that included a Tour Istanbul tour. Having time to waste, before I met my line sister in London I chose the 22-hour layover with the tour. If you read my "How to get a free trip internationally" blog (I see the views I know you didn't) you would know about Stopovers, and how they can be used to visit a country free of charge. (Details are here https://www.breeleaves.com/post/20-hours-to-spare-how-to-get-a-free-trip-internationally- Go read). A Stopover is how I was able to explore Istanbul for free.

What is Tour Instanbul?

As a complimentary experience to its passengers, Turkish Airlines offers a free guided tour for its connecting passengers that have between six and twenty-four hours in the city. The Turkish Airlines TourIstanbul is a free complimentary tour that provides a guided tour with all meals (dependent on time) and all museum entries included. While you do not get to pick the tour, they are subject to availability and space.

How to get to the Tour Instanbul Desk?

After your Turkish Airlines connecting international flight lands in İstanbul, you can sign up for Touristanbul at the Hotel Desk in the International Arrivals Terminal of İstanbul Airport. Touristanbul is only available for flights operated by Turkish Airlines. However please note before visiting Türkiye, you can obtain an e-visa at www.evisa.gov.tr/ website. Or you can get one on arrival for $30 (CASH), but depending on how many people need a visa the line can get long and you may miss your tour check-in time, depending on when the tour starts. I waited and got a Visa on arrival and I missed the 7 pm tour unbeknownst to me I missed the tour by 2 minutes and had to come back the following morning to catch one of the morning tours.

Where did I stay?

Once I learned that I would not be catching the evening tour, I wanted to go shower and find food. Overseas, I do not Uber if I do not have to. I like to immerse myself in the experience and I learned that public transportation is easy to maneuver and extremely affordable. So in an effort to keep my trip costs as low as possible, and honestly, I was in no rush to get anywhere I found the train and I caught the train to my hotel- Delta Hotels by Marriott Istanbul Kagithane. From the airport, it was a 20-minute, $5.00 train ride to the hotel.

Once I arrived at my train stop I was pleasantly shocked. I am not going to lie to you, Kagithane was really something, visually. Because everyone literally minded their business, I did not feel unsafe. Even though the streets were dark and the only lights were the ones from buildings and businesses, not a soul said anything to me. In fact, I felt invisible, which as a solo traveler, I liked. While the hotel is beautiful you can truly tell that the area that it is in is up and coming, the buildings all look like they are in the middle of being torn down or either rebuilt and there are CATS everywhere. So many cats, on benches, on cars, on stairs, crossing the streets- SO MANY CATS.

I went to the front desk, put gave them the required identification documents, and was escorted to my room by the bellman. Showered, went to find food, and came back to my room to watch tv and relax. While out locating food, around the corner from the hotel, a 3-minute walk I stopped at İntiba Döner Kağıthane. I did not know what Doner was, I know that the waiter was tired of me asking questions but the food looked good and I wanted to try the best thing, I learned Doner kebab, also spelled döner kebab, is a type of kebab, made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. And it WAS DELICIOUS. I was searching for Authentic Turkish food and I got. For dessert I tried Pistachio Baklava, I am not going to lie- I did not like it. But I had to try it. I left and got some other dessert- Churros. I know those are not Turkish but I wanted something sweet. I left went back to my room and went to sleep as I had to get up to catch the train so I could get to the Tour Instanbul tour in the AM.

Tour Day-

The morning of the tour I went back to the airport headed to the Tour Instanbul Desk and signed up for a tour. I was assigned T25- The Biblical Tour. The guide came to the waiting area, called our names, and lead us to the bus. We departed from Istanbul Airport exactly on time at 8:00 by minibus of Touristanbul, following the Coastal Road. It took about 1 hour to reach the city and our guide, explained to us the attractions we would be seeing while out and about. On this Biblical Tour, we learned about the history of the Roman Empire, and why Istanbul was so important during the spread of Christianity. I have never heard the name Constantine so much, that man is all up and through Turkey, but that makes sense it was Constantinopolis first. I even got to touch a slab of rock that they say was touched by Jesus. As a history lover, this tour was fascinating. Learning about the underground tunnels, the architecture of the Churches, and the reason the walls were built the way there were built- was fascinating to me. We walked through Balat, got to tour some ancient sites that are not open to those not on tour and I ate some Turkish Delight- a dessert made with a gel of starch and sugar. Some of them contained chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts, or walnuts. It was really good but it got stuck in my teeth and I was over it very quickly, I even met another Black girl from Austin who was traveling home from Vietnam. It was a great time. At noon, they dropped us off at the airport and we all parted ways. Overall it was a good experience and even beyond my absent expectations considering that this tour is completely free. The tour was well organized and really on time. Although I only took the half-morning sightseeing tour which includes only short stops at each place I got to see more than I would have if I tried to maneuver on my own.

I spent all of $30 in Turkey and I loved it. If I would have booked a hotel not on points it would have been $130 but nevertheless, I started my birthday week off with some culture and a little bit of Jesus. I want to go back to visit turkey but I think I just might do another Stopover and get a flight that lands early and leaves later.

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