Final Day: Istanbul

    Our final day in Istanbul had an interesting coincidence where I met up with my friend Pierre and his wife Paola in Istanbul. Pierre was here for a conference and it was such a good timing where we walked around the streets of Istanbul together. We met up with my cousin who generously took us to one of the best kebab places, Seyhmuz Kebap in Sultanahmet. Their cheese kebab is to die for!!

Seyhmuz Kebap at Cemberlitas. Delicious cheese kebab! Gracias Karzen

Later on we went to Fez cafe where we had Turkish coffee with delicious almond liquor preceding it. It has been a random and interesting experience for my French friends I hope as I enjoyed seeing them and showing them where I grew up. Hitting the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market for the rest of the day we made some last minute shopping. Heading back to Yesilkoy we took the train to not to get stuck on traffic. That train from Sirkeci to Yesilkoy is quite nostalgic for me as I used to take it with my grandpa and my brother as a kid. Now I was riding it with a girl from Ohio next to me. That's life, eh... Our last night in Turkey we wanted to go out to Taksim and hang out with close friends in Asmali Mescit. With Burak, Melis, Ercin and Miray we went to a cool roof top terrace bar with the entire Istanbul skyline infront of us.

Last night in TR with the gang

 Finishing the night at Parantez bar (Burak's spot) was a classic. Their mojitos are to die for as the owner looks to be a big fan of Cuba. We had a fun night together and it was a great way to recap our amazing vacation.

Eating muscles outside of the bar

During the 21 days we hit 10 different beaches, drove over 1000km on a road trip from west and south coast of Turkey, did paragliding, got into hot air balloon and visited underground city over in  Cappadocia. I couldn't have asked for a better trip than what we just experienced. My friends and families that I introduced Ellen to and the random people we met during the journey. In the end, it was nice to be back in where I grew up with my +1. I'm thankful for all the people that helped us to make this trip a trip of a lifetime. July 2012 will always have a special meaning for us. I hope you enjoyed my boring blogs throughout the trip. I wrote here drunk, jet-lagged, rushed (through the checkout), on the beach, on the plane etc. Mainly I wrote it to remember the amazing times! Till the next journey... Gule Gule!