Travel : Insel Mainau and Konstanz

Yesterday we went to Insel Mainau(Mainau island of flowers) and Lake Constance for a little weekend getaway,as usual.

The flowers were no many actually,but we had fun,nevertheless.

Till then and have a nice weekend!



Insel Mainau,the floral island

A mammoth tree believed to age more than 100 years!

Main reason why we came here is because I wanted to see roses,unfortunately,the roses were still budding :(

These are poppy flowers,they grow everywhere just in the bushes!People here use their seeds to make pastries and if I'm not mistaken,poppy seeds are also used to make drug,no?

This giant purple flower that always raised my attention

Lake Constance/Konstanz

It was a warm day,indeed

My heart and soul :)

Lake Constance/Konstanz

Travel:Istanbul Last Part

Salam guys,

So sorry for the long due,finally the final part of Istanbul travel last month.There are 2 more places that we've visited,although there are still some more interesting places to visit,but due to time limit,we couldn't visit all.

InsyaAllah,one day we will come back to this beautiful city to explore more and more of Istanbul.

Mini Atürk

Mini Atürk is miniature exhibition park.The main attractions here are the famous and important buildings in all over Turkey.Not just that,some buildings with high Ottoman influence in other countries are also exhibited here.One way to get to this park is by bus.We took the bus from Eminonu and straight to Mini Atürk.One can also reach by boat or taxi,but not by tram.

From the entrance of Mini Atürk

One of famous cities in Turkey and is listed as one of UNESCO world heritage

Another city famous in Turkey

It was too sunny that day that we had to protect Alayna from UV ray

On the way back to Eminonu in the bus

Gülhane Park

On our last day in Istanbul,we didn't do much but to enjoy the last bits of it in a more relaxing way.We went to a park next to Topkapi Palace called Gülhane Park,and the park, like any other place in Istanbul was full with blooming tulips too.This park is also for free and many people came and picnicking there,some kids even played football and some came to us and offered to push Alayna's stroller :P

"Daun la sedap mama,Tulip buat apa"

Travel:Heidelberg

Salam guys,

So sorry for the hiatus lately.Life keeps me busy at the moment,but now I'm lounging in the couch with my husband while our daughter sleeps after a tiring day for her :P

Today we made an impromptu trip to an old german city,Heildelberg not far from Frankfurt.We just wanted to go out a bit of Stuttgart so I suggested to my husband to drive there as we haven't been to this city for almost 4 years since 2011 although we have driven passing this city many times before.

Heidelberg is famous of its castle ruins on top of the hill.From the car park near the old city center,we walked up the hill to the top of the castle and spent some time there.I wanted to enter the castle but my husband was too lazy to go buy us the entrance tickets :P

After that we walked down to the old city center and had a late lunch at a lebanese restaurant before walking on the bridge and from the bridge we can see the scenery of the castle on top of the hill.

That's the end of our day.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Altstadt/old city center

Heidelberg Castle Ruins

There is the Heidelberg Castle

Travel:Istanbul Part 3

Before we leave for a little getaway over the weekend starting tomorrow,here is the 3rd part of our Istanbul trip last month.

Basilica Cistern

The largest underground cistern beneath of Istanbul,not far from Hagia Sophia.On two bases of pillars in the cistern are the visage of the popular myth,Medusa.

The Visage of one of Medusa's heads

Bosphorus Boat Tour

One must take the boat tour cruising the Bosphorus river in Istanbul.From the boat,we can see the both part of Asian and European Istanbul,and by boat we could also go to the Emirgan Park to see the endless tulips everywhere in the park as it was also the Tulip Festival for the entire month of April.We were lucky!

The hot chai/tea is a must whenever one is in Istanbul.Another good hot tea is apple tea.Please try!

On the boat enjoying the magnificent view of Istanbul,breathtaking!

The bridge that connects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.Unique,no?A city that lies on 2 different continents

Emirgan Tulips Park by the Bosphorus

As mentioned before,we were pretty much lucky because when we were there,it was the peak season of tulip.Tulips were planted everywhere in the city and for that matter,several parks in the city were also cherished with many of them and one of them is Emirgan Park,can be accessed by boat and the entrance was for free.We spent the entire evening in the park enjoying one of our best moments in Istanbul.

Forget Keukenhof because we enjoyed the tulips here a lot better :P

One of the precious wefies because we can count just how many wefies we have with each other these days :P

The endless tulips in Emirgan Park

Topkapi Palace

It served as the residence palace for sultans during the Ottoman empire,and today it is a UNESCO world heritage that serves as a museum and another must visit place in Istanbul.It is also the home of some Islamic holy relics of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W like his sword and cloak.However,as it is one of the main attractions in Istanbul other than Hagia Sophia,one is recommended to buy ticket online to avoid long queue.

The Palace compound

The Palace entrance

From Topkapi Palace,overlooking the scenic Bosphorus River

Istanbul part 2

There are actually a lot of places to visit in Istanbul.But somehow,traveling with a baby is not an easy thing.There are just many things to consider.Anyway,I'd say,we expored Istanbul a lot.And knowing my husband,we walked a lot too while being there.In my opinion,one can explore the beauty and hidden gems of a place the best by foot.

Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar

Grand Bazaar is another place that one must visit while being in Istanbul.It has been operated since hundred of years and if I'm not mistaken it is the biggest
covered market in the world.There are just so so many things sold here from textiles,glass lamps,lanterns to many kinds of herbs and spices.

Anyhow,our visit here was more to see the turkish culture of merchandising,as I heard that Grand Bazaar is actually not really a perfect place to buy souvenir as the sellers here tend to mark up price,whereas one can get cheaper price at any other place.

However,we bought some types of tea in Spice Bazaar as the price offered there was reasonable enough for us and in fact,I didn't buy much,because I didn't have idea what I shall do with the spices and herbs at home :P

 From inside Grand Bazaar

Suleymaniye Mosque/Sulaiman Mosque

Istanbul is full of mosques everywhere.I've never been to a city full of them actually,and Istanbul is one of a kind.Another famous mosque other than Blue Mosque is this one,located not far from Eminonu,and it is overlooking the Bosphorus River.

Alhamdulillah,I got chance to perform prayers here and after that we took a moment to enjoy a very beautiful scenery of Bosphorus from the mosque compound.

 The scenery of Bosphorus from the compound of the mosque

Eminonu

From Suleymaniye Mosque,we walked some more to Eminonu.People here do a lot of activities ranging from business to leasure.The spice bazaar is also not far from here.We walked along the Bosphorus river and stumbled upon few boats selling the famous grilled mackarel sandwich which is recommended by many tourists coming to Istanbul.The sandwich is grilled and sold directly from the boat not far from Galata Bridge.

 The Boat selling the sandwich

 Balik Ekmek,the grilled mackarel sandwich

Taksim Square

This is the shopping district,more like urban shopping center for young people.This was our last destination of the second day and had our dinner before returning back to the hotel.