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The Selfish Years

~ Over 200 cities, 42 countries, 6 continents and counting.

The Selfish Years

Category Archives: Istanbul

Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

22 Thursday May 2014

Posted by misterselfish in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Istanbul

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Turkish Airlines

This is the final post out of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

Ever since we got into the miles and points game, Mrs. Selfish and I have made it a personal goal to cash in all of our miles and points for experiences we would never pay cash for. Like staying in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora or flying Lufthansa first class home from Europe.

While these redemptions have been pretty awesome, we usually get the most value for our miles flying international business class. While your average international flight is expensive – international business class is ridiculously expensive.

Like $3000 one way expensive, if you’re doing it right. And while the flights themselves tend to be great, one side benefit of flying business that we rarely talk about here at the Selfish Years is the lounges.

In the States, airline lounges mean free wifi, edible food, a moderately clean bathroom, free(ish) booze, and a room packed to 70% of capacity. Outside of the States, however, it’s a whole other story.

Let me show you by comparing my two favorite business class lounges, the Turkish Airlines flagship lounge in Istanbul and Cathay Pacific’s “The Wing” in Hong Kong.

Decor & Features

Most international business class lounges are pretty similar. They tend to be swankily decorated. There’s free wifi. There’s usually a showering facility filled with amenities like shampoo, lotion, and tooth paste. There are often free magazines, computer stations, and TVs playing movies.

Lounge Deathmatch 001

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Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Europe, Istanbul

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Ali Muhiddin Hadji Bekir, Asia, Baylan Patisserie, Bosphorus Strait, Day Trip to Asia, Dolmabahçe Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, Europe, Istanbul, Kadıköy, Kup Griye, Maiden Tower, Maiden's Tower, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Turkey

This is the tenth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

Istanbul has the distinction of being in two continents. While the old historic part of Istanbul is in Europe, the Asian side is merely across the Bosphorus Strait. Mr. Selfish and I love the idea of being in both Europe and Asia in one day, so we opted to take a day trip from Europe to Asia.

Day Trip

Starting in Europe: Dolmabahçe Palace

Right near our hotel and on the European coastline of the Bosphorus Strait is Dolmabahçe Palace. Construction on the palace finished in 1856 and cost approximately $1.5 billion USD in today’s currency. It was built to replace Topkapı Palace as the Sultan’s residence and is considered to be the Versailles of Turkey. The palace was a significant factor in the decline of the finances of the Ottoman Empire, which eventually slid into bankruptcy. Needless to say, it is quite elaborate and ornate.

Day Trip to Asia 008Day Trip to Asia 011PalaceDay Trip to Asia 013

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Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by misterselfish in Europe, Istanbul

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Istanbul, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is the ninth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

Generally speaking, Mrs. Selfish and I are bad tourists. We like to hang out in a foreign city to soak up the ambiance, but we rarely spend much time in museums. Just haven’t built up the endurance, I suppose – I similarly get exhausted shopping for more than an hour or so.

That being said we do like to walk, especially in the old parts of town. There’s just so much to do, see, smell, and eat that you miss out on with faster modes of travel.

And so it was that we decided to stroll on over to the Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern, two Istanbul attractions that get a little less love than the big boys.

The Topapki Palace

Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern 001

The Topkapi Palace was constructed in the mid 1400’s, and was the primary residence of the Ottoman Turks for over 400 years. It’s a large complex with 4 main courtyards and several small buildings. It’s not Versaille big, or Forbidden City big, but it would probably take you a good 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

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Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

19 Monday May 2014

Posted by mrsselfish in Europe, Food & Drinks, Istanbul

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Tags

Asia, Europe, Food & Drinks, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Spice Bazaar, Turkey

This is the eighth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

I love Daniel Craig as James Bond. I mean, he’s no Sean Connery, but in my opinion, he is the next best James Bond. So, while in Istanbul, Mr. Selfish and I rewatched Skyfall, because the opening sequence is set in Istanbul. Although it didn’t seem quite geographically accurate, there is an awesome chase scene near the Grand Bazaar.

James Bond

Unfortunately, I didn’t spot James Bond on a motorcycle at the Grand Bazaar. Nevertheless, it is still quite epic. The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It is quite large with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops. I was pretty surprised as to how large it was.

Grand Bazaar 005Grand Bazaar 002Grand Bazaar 003

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Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques

16 Friday May 2014

Posted by misterselfish in Europe, Istanbul

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, New Mosque, Süleyman the Magnificent, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is the fifth of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

One of the reasons I was excited to visit Istanbul was to check out the numerous mosques that dot the city. A thoroughly modern city, Istanbul is an excellent blend of contemporary conveniences and ancient architecture. Coming from the States, it’s utterly bizarre to walk past a Starbucks, turn a corner, and find yourself face to face with a 500 year old building.

It also helps that the mosques are stunning.

Biggie Istanbul 061

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Introduction to Istanbul

12 Monday May 2014

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Europe, Istanbul

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Europe, Istanbul, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is the first of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

  • Introduction to Istanbul
  • 4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul
  • Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, and Now Museum
  • Cheap Eats in Istanbul!
  • Istanbul’s Magnificent Mosques
  • Turkish Food is Quite a Delight!
  • Suleymaniye Hamami: A Mixed Gender Turkish Bath
  • Shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Istanbul’s Other Sights: The Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern
  • Crossing the Bosphorous Strait: A Day Trip from Europe to Asia
  • Lounge Deathmatch: Turkish Airlines vs. Cathay Pacific

After a holiday hiatus in the States, Mrs. Selfish and I started planning our next big international trip. Having only visited Morocco during our Selfish Year abroad, Mrs. Selfish and I decided an African safari trip in Tanzania was in order.

With the United devaluation looming, we burned our stash of United miles for two tickets to Africa in business class. Prior to February 2014, these tickets cost 120,000 miles each, but once February hit the price jumped to 140,000!

map

120,000 UA miles in January, 140,000 miles in February.

Since United has a rather generous award policy, allowing for a stopover and an open jaw or two stopovers, we determined we should stop somewhere on the way to recover from jetlag. Having always been fascinated with Turkish food and architecture, Istanbul seemed like the perfect location.

Istanbul Introduction 005

Ahhhh, Istanbul.

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Mr. and Mrs. Selfish are an obsessively organized couple who sold all their junk to travel abroad for a year. Now settled in San Francisco, they have since visited over 200 cities in 44 countries over 6 continents. This site chronicles their travels.

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