Emily writes · Istanbul, Türkiye · 4–8 September 2025
Our first stop was Istanbul with the whole extended family. I had wanted to go for years, and suddenly everyone was there at once.
The main reason we came was my cousin’s wedding. My cousin looked beautiful, everyone was happy, and Bryson and I contributed some truly horrendous dancing. We also came dangerously close to falling fully clothed into the swimming pool. Bryson found a cigar corner with the father of the bride, where they compared flavours and got a few quiet minutes away from the rest of us.
The religious building nerd in me got very excited about Hagia Sophia and the mosques. Bryson became a very good market haggler. I became an awkward person willing to pay almost any price just to end the conversation.
We took a sunset cruise along the Bosphorus and learned more about the city than either of us expected. I mostly remember the view.
The Turkish bath brought a different kind of excitement. I had not expected to be naked in the tiniest pair of paper underwear in front of my grandmother. Once I got over that, it was relaxing, and I left feeling cleaner than I had in a very long time.
We ate Turkish breakfasts, had a rooftop feast, and tried plenty more. The meal I remember best was a simple doner kebab by the side of the road.
A lot of our family lives in Australia or other parts of the world, and we had not seen some of them for years. It was good to have that time together, and proper time with my parents and brother, before Bryson and I packed again and set off through Southeast Asia.
Open the camera roll (21 photographs)
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