Our first stop was Istanbul with the whole extended family.  I had been wanting to visit the city where Europe meets Asia forever.

The main reason we came? My cousin’s wedding. And it was a great one. My cousin looked beautiful, the couple was so happy and the food was delicious. Bryson and I did some truly horrendous dancing and came dangerously close to falling fully clothed into the swimming pool. Bryson found a cigar corner with the father off the bride where they bonded about different flavours and found a moment of silence away from the chaos. 

The religious building nerd in me got very excited about Hagia Sophia and all the other gorgeous mosques in the city. The markets were so vibrant and Bryson became a master haggler. I on the other hand was incredibly awkward and would have overpaid for everything had Bryson not been at my side. 

One of the best moments was the sunset cruise tour along the Bosphorus. The views were just breathtaking and we learnt a significant amount about the city.

A trip to a Turkish bath bought much excitement. I have to say I was not expecting to get naked, in the tiniest pair of paper underwear in front of my grandmother, but once I got over the embarrassment, it was truly relaxing and honestly felt the cleanest I have felt in a very long time. 

We also had many delicious meals, from Turkish breakfast, to a roof top feast and more. One of our best meals was a simple donor kebab on the side of the road. 

But more than anything, this trip was about family. Many of which lived in Australia/ other parts of the world and we hadn’t seen in years. Getting to reconnect, laugh, and celebrate together in a city like Istanbul was a treat. It was also a great opportunity to spend quality time with my parents and brother on a family holiday before we embark on our adventures in south east asia.