miss iggy and saint anthony

Miss Iggy at the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Istanbul

Euro Iggy and the Tünel

The Tünel is an antique cable railway that carries passengers between Karaköy to Tünel Square. The funicular that travels 573m was designed by French engineer Eugéne Henri Gavant and was opened in 1875.

miss iggy between europe and asia

When in Istanbul, going on a trip along the Bosphorus strait is a must. Of course, Euro Iggy just had to go on that ferry trip that would take her from Europe to Asia and back!

The ferry docks at Eminönü, where Miss Iggy and friends had an afternoon snack of fish sandwiches, the quintessential Istanbul snack, from one of these boats:



After that filling snack of fried fish on bread with salad, Miss Iggy went on the ferry that would take her along the Bosphorus strait to the border of the Black Sea, and back.

Miss Iggy and the Bosphorus bridge

The Bosphorus strait, also known as Istanbul strait, forms the boundary between the European and Asian parts of Turkey.

It was a marvelous experience for Miss Iggy. Where else can you look to your left and see Europe and then look to your right and see Asia?

miss iggy and the tulips

Miss Iggy at the Istanbul Tulips Festival

Apparently more than 10 Million tulip bulbs have been planted all over the city (which has 16 Million inhabitants, by the way)!

Miss Iggy hearts blue tiles

Euro Iggy fell in love with the blue and turquoise tiles found all over Istanbul. 

Here's Miss Iggy inside a mosque

More lovely tiles: 

Miss Iggy and the Blue Mosque

After seeing the Blue Mosque on countless postcards in souvenir shops, Miss Iggy knew she had to go and see it for herself. 

Hmm... it doesn't really look that blue, Miss Iggy pondered. The tour guide explained that the mosque's original name is Sultan Ahmet Camii, but received the unofficial name "Blue Mosque" from tourists because of the tens of thousands of blue tiles in the interior walls. 

Euro Iggy was amazed at its grandness: it has more minarets than any other Istanbul mosque, a courtyard that's bigger than all other Ottoman mosques, 260 windows and a central prayer space that can host thousands of worshippers. 

Wash area where worshippers have to wash themselves before praying

Miss Iggy and the Orient Express

Miss Euro Iggy at the Sirkeci Railway Station, in Istanbul. From 1883 to 1977, the Sirkeci Station was the final stop of the Orient Express. The 3,094 kilometer route passed through several cities in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Miss Iggy was amazed to find out that that trainride would have lasted 80 hours!

Eurasian Iggy

Euro Iggy just got back from her trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where she spent her Easter break at. It's where East meets West - while the Eastern portion of the city is in Europe, the Western part of Istanbul is in Asia.

Here's Miss Iggy standing in Europe looking at Asia: 

While she's still sorting the photos she took on this trip, she's thrilled to tell you about the Orient Express, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and other Turkish delights real soon!