The title of this article came to me this morning like a light bulb moment. I was actually doing my morning prayers when the title popped into my head. I almost grabbed my phone to type it in but then remembered that I had made a promise never to use my phone until I have done my daily devotion in the morning. I said to myself if this is the title of this post them I will remember after my devotion.
My trip to South Africa was everything I expected and more. I loved every bit of it albeit the glaring issue of race (which I won’t go into fully here).
The first thing that always jumps to my mind when ever someone mentions Barcelona is architecture. In my view, there are a few places in the world comparable to Barcelona as far as architecture is concerned. I may not have travelled the entire world to compare it to Barcelona but for the cities I have been to (and I have been to a good few), have very little if anything on this beautiful city.
Travelling is one thing i love doing whenever i can. The fact that i live in London, which is relatively close to major cities in Europe is a blessing in itself. I did quite a bit of travelling in the last two years and this year will be no exception. This year, my first destination is Barcelona. In fact, i am sitting in my hotel room as i type this article this very minute. Literally walked in and thought i should drop a few lines. I absolutely love Barcelona for two main reasons which are food and architecture. Anyway don’t get me started on Barcelona yet, as this article is about what i carry with me when i travel for short trips.
If you travel as much as I do then you would have, at some point during your travels, arrived at your destination only to realize that you have forgotten an important item of use, and probably taken stuff you do not need at all. There is nothing more frustrating than packing your 200ml Terre d’Hermesor your 250ml Tom Ford tuscan leather (which may well be more expensive than your flight), only to be told by airport security that you can’t take it with you as it exceeds the fluid limit allowed in your hand luggage. Ouch. This is generally caused by packing at the last minute or simply not planning your trip properly. Not only is it a massive inconvenience to not have the things you need with you, it has the potential to send your travel bill sky rocketing as you purchase these items.Continue reading Overnight bag: everything you need for a short trip→
I promised two weeks ago I would share my experiences in Istanbul with you but have not been able to do so until now. I apologise for the delay and hope its worth the wait.
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) in all its beauty with a blue sky backdrop. This architectural beauty also holds great historical significance as it connects Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. It was once a church, then converted to a mosque, and now a museum. one of my fav monuments in the city
I will be sharing my experiences of Istanbul in two parts. The first article (this one) will look at this city’s architecture, where the second article will explore food, hospitality and the people.
First of all, whenever I talk about architecture in Europe, there are two main cities I benchmark my idea of beautiful architecture from which are Barcelona and Prague. I know other European cities have beautiful architecture as well, but the above two left a lasting impression on my mind for so many reasons. You can check out articles of my Prague experience here and here. But anyway, this article is about Istanbul so let me reel it in a bit before I get carried away with talking about other cities. Oh and the fact that Istanbul is not even in the European union is probably a good enough reason for me not to compare but anyway, moving on.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue mosque) was built from 1609 to 1616 during the rule of Ahmed 1. This mosque caused an uproar within the muslim world when it was built with six minarets matching the great mosque in Mecca. The uproar prompted the Sultan to order a seventh minaret to be built in the Mecca as a gift. The blue most is opposite Hagia Sophia with less than four minutes walk between them
Ok, basically I have heard so many things about Istanbul from different people who gave good reviews about this city. At this point, you would think it’s a no brainer for me to just pick up my suitcase and head out there right? Well guess what, that’s exactly what I did. Apart from the little scare I got after seeing on telly the tragic occurrence of the Ankara bombing on the 10th of October, there was no stopping me from travelling to Istanbul. As with many of the places I travel to for the first time, I did not know much about Istanbul. In fact, I know so little that I couldn’t have told you more than 10 facts about this city. Shocking right? Well wait until you hear my big confession. Continue reading Beautiful Architecture – C F HIM in Istanbul→
