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Turkey is a beautiful country with rich culture and history and Istanbul, spread over two continents, makes it a sort of “gateway” between worlds. Istanbul is separated by the Bosphorus Strait with the Marmara Sea to the south and the Black Sea to the north. Ruled by Muslims, Christians, Hittites, and many more, Turkey’s history has been both graceful and gruesome. Formerly called Byzantium and then Constantinople, Istanbul used to be a city largely populated by Christians, but now vast majority of Turkish men and women are Muslim. The Muslim culture is conservative and extremely hospitable, and I hope that like me, you get to experience their generosity first hand.

On the European side there is a slightly more modern and touristy feel, while the Asian side is where I found the best food and felt more immersed into the culture. Granted, the European side does have many of the touristy spots, and if you are staying on that side, I recommend spending a day or two wandering around the Asian side and enjoying delicious eats and welcoming locals.

One of the best things you can purchase while in Istanbulsay is the Museum Pass Istanbul. I got my 5-day card while entering the Hagia Sophia, but I’m pretty sure you can get one at any place that is included in the card. It gets you into a number of museums and historical sites for just 85 Turkish Lira (approx USD23 and GBP19) as opposed to paying around 15 lira per place you go. For more info you can look here.

However, peak tourist season is a dread. And Istanbul, being one of the most traveled to cities in the world, is no different. Istanbul’s peak season is the summer, with lots of tourists and travelers alike. People come from all over the world to experience a charming and bustling enormous city.

In attempts to avoid crowds and spend less money, I decided (three weeks in advance) to visit Turkey in the dead of winter. I wasn’t sure what to expect, thinking it could be either a Russian-style winter or a balmy SoCal winter. Well it wasn’t either. It was the perfect type of winter. A few days it snowed, other days there was a slight drizzle, but it was never too cold. There are tons of things to do indoors but the outdoors were enchanting in the snow and cool, bright days.

The only thing that was not so fun was that on the European side: a lot of the walk ways are marble and once the snow started to melt, you had to tread carefully. But besides that, it was amazing, and I’ll show you why.

(warning: I only had my phone for a camera on this trip, so photos are sub-par)

Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque)

This mosque is so popular, and I now know why. It’s incredible. It was a slightly cloudy day, but that just made everything more moody and enchanting.

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This is the view from Sultanahmet Square. The square separates the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque- it’s a great place to just sit and stare at the majestic, historical buildings.

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Dark photos, but beautiful nonetheless. This is from the courtyard, and to get inside you have to wait around for a time they’re not doing a prayer and then you go line up. As you walk in, girls have to have their head covered with some scarves and if you are wearing tight pants, they give you a long skirt to wear over. I think I ended up with just the scarf to cover my hair, but my pants were loose enough. So if you’re planning to go inside the Mosque, prepare accordingly.

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Well that’s flattering.

Keep quiet inside and be respectful, it helps in avoiding the evil eye.

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia (ah-yah soh-fee-yah) comes with a lot of historical baggage- it’s been rebuilt three times in the exact same location. First it was a Christian church, covered in gold murals and paintings that depicted bible stories and Jesus Christ. Over time it was captured, destroyed, etc and now it is an ancient Christian church that was taken over by Muslims, thus the giant Muslim poster things. Yes, super clear.

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There you can see the Hagia Sophia perched up there as we were crossing from the Asian side to the European via ferry. There are three ways to get across the Bosphorus Strait: the ferry, an underground metro, and three bridges (I think).

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It’s huge, and the fountain in front of it makes it all pretty spectacular.

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The majority of the inside is covered (or was covered) in gold. I say was covered because much of the gold was scraped off because, well, it’s real gold. Also, those big scaffolding things are there to support and preserve the building.

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And here’s another photo of the Blue Mosque taken from a small window in the Ayasofya because it’s just so dang pretty. I stuck my hands out the window (which was taller than my head so I couldn’t see what was going on) and precariously took like seven photos. I’d recommend not following suit.

Topkapı Palace

When I saw photos of Topkapı Palace, I wasn’t super impressed. But my friends said it was pretty cool. So we got some Turkish Ice cream (definitely something I recommend) in the snow and went up the slippery, steep path up to the palace. And despite what I previously thought, it was beautiful in the snow.

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The outside isn’t that exciting. But it’s cool. Oh, and those marble stones are the types of path ways I was talking about that get so dang slippery in the snow.

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The inside is amazing. The different accents with different colours of marble are priceless and were chosen specifically for the palace. It’s beautiful!

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Watching the snow fall (and obviously going out and playing in it) from the walk ways was pretty fantastic. Every detail was so precise. Inside they have viewing galleries of the armory and chinaware and silverware.

Istanbul Archaeology Museum

This museum was pretty cool. Lots of mummies and whatnot, but interesting. However, it was under construction (as of January 2016) and it made it kind of awkward to get in.

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The snow that day was perfect for snowball fights and jumping around and taking cool pictures. The snowflakes were more like little snowball pellets, like little balls? It was weird snow but it made it even more fun.

Chora Church

Another indoor activity, but it only takes a couple of hours at most. It is pretty dark and as of Jan 2016, it was under a lot of construction, so it made it a bit of an expensive two-three room experience. However, I’m sure without construction, it would be brilliant.

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The different mosaics and frescoes portray various Bible stories (of which some of the gold has been stripped off). The reason behind having Bible stories in paintings everywhere was because the poor and even common folk couldn’t read, and thus images were the only ways to tell the stories of the Bible. The above fresco depicts Jesus being pulled by Adam and Eve and below his feet Satan lies defeated. He is surrounded by the Disciples.

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Again, more stories. When you sit there and look closely, some of you can recognise what story it is portraying. Your neck will also be sore after this trip.

I think the Istanbul Museum card works for Chora Museum/Church now, but it didn’t when I went (thus why it was a bit expensive).

Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe was one of my favourite things I saw in Istanbul. It was a perfectly beautiful winter day; the sun was bright, the snow was laid neatly down, the palace was incredible. It wasn’t included on the Museum Pass Istanbul, but it was worth the 30 lira or so. The tour is included, and it’s also wonderful.

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The palace is surrounded by these big, gorgeous walls and gates. It was generally used by princesses to come live by the sea (oh, by the way, it’s right on the strait),

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but then Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the new Turkish Republic and first president of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers. Atatürk also died in the palace, another reason why it’s such a popular place and so important to many Turkish fellows.

We weren’t supposed to take photos inside, but I snuck in a few when the tour guide wasn’t looking or was focused on someone else (or we were crowded together so she wouldn’t notice). The inside was absolutely AMAZING.

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It’s also home to some of the biggest chandeliers in the world (not this one pictured). Pretty amazing.

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Could I forget the little fountain in the front? That layer of ice was a few inches thick just floating on top and it was fun to mess around with (and almost fall into).

Get some Turkish coffee (and try not to cry)

Turkish coffee is a delicacy. It’s also extremely small and extremely thick, and if you don’t stop drinking soon enough, you’ll be chugging down some thick coffee grounds. I highly recommend trying it.

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Get some good food on the Asian side

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I can’t remember what this meal was called, but it was amazing. Anything with lavaş bread and Turkish yoghurt (similar to sour cream or greek yoghurt) is good in Turkey.

Go for a walk in the rain

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The European side is full of quaint, European looking streets where the metro goes right through the street. The lights reflecting off the ground make it absolutely beautiful and don’t forget to pick up some Turkish ice cream.

The Spice Bazaar

I personally liked the Spice Bazaar better than the famous Grand Bazaar, mainly because they had so much Lokum (Turkish delight). Not the nasty kind you get by the checkout stands at the store, but the authentic, chewy, delicious lokum. Vendors will almost always give you multiple samples and they can also vacuum seal the lokum for you to take on the airplane or boat or train home.

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It’s also kind of indoors/covered, and the body heat makes it fairly warm inside. I loved every moment there.

The Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is really fun and exciting. There is just so much merchandise everywhere, and friendly vendors and salesmen make it another one of those fun cultural experiences.

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I got a cool Turkish poncho that I wear all the time. However, if you buy one, don’t wear it out and about in Turkey because it’s mainly used by Turkish women at home as a similar use to a robe or blanket.

Büyükada (Island)

Büyükada is the largest of the nine “Princes’ Islands” off the Asian side in Marmara Sea. It’s beautiful and quaint, with Victorian style houses and steep streets (and some horses). At the top of the hilly island is a monastery that has been well preserved (no photos allowed). We rented bikes for super cheap and biked all around the steep streets of Büyükada, and the sunset made it pretty awesome.

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Biking around is pretty fun and you can wander onto some rocks on the edges if you please.

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The houses are big and friendly locals make experiences ten times better.

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From the top you can see the Asian side of Istanbul in the distance. Istanbul has got some 18 million people and is super crowded, as you can probably see.

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Absolutely beautiful sunset. Turkey in the winter is pretty great. You have this some days, you have winter wonderland other days. It’s the best of both worlds.

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Istanbul is such a great city to visit, and I know I will be there again one day. I highly recommend visiting in the winter, not just because there are less tourists, but because it also helps when it comes to modesty standards. The locals are really very conservative, and I can imagine they would not appreciate scantily clad women in the hot, Middle East summers. If you do go in the summer, just be aware it’s considered a no-no to have your shoulders uncovered and short shorts on, so just avoid that. For men, I doubt much, if anything, is off limits. The winter is a great time to visit Istanbul, and if you’re lucky and it snows, it’ll be a winter wonderland.

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Fear is a funny thing. Its crippling effect causes people to run or freeze or cry or scream and everyone has a fairly unique way of responding to it. We pray to be free from fear. We avoid situations or things that cause us to be fearful. Why are we so afraid of little things? Why are we so afraid of the world?

Well we should be afraid of the world, shouldn’t we? After all there are terrorists and wars and sociopaths, right? Martyrs roam the earth; no religion is exempt. Our world is full of bad people. So don’t let your children travel into the world. Don’t let young people experience new cultures, they might lose their religion, get hurt, kidnapped or become the next subject of a suicide bomber. Keep them safe at home. That’s the responsible thing to do, right?

Wrong.

Kind of.

While the world is indeed full of dangerous things, we shouldn’t fear harm or danger that accompanies travel. We shouldn’t live in fear of what can harm the body, but rather to fear the things that can harm the mind (Matthew 10:28). Bestselling author Katie Davis said in the introduction of her book, Kisses from Katie, “Jesus called His followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe. We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. ” What a beautiful thing.

Of course, many would argue that the above paragraph alone is a warning of the dangers of the world, and logic would tell us to avoid it. Danger is uncomfortable. We become afraid.

I’m afraid of a lot of things. I’m afraid of my family moving on without me while I move halfway across the world to New Zealand for school. I’m afraid my siblings will create their own inside jokes and forget about me. I’m afraid of becoming a stranger to my family. I fear moving to Africa because, while I know God will be with me in my missionary attempts, it will be hard.

You probably have much to fear as well too. Maybe you fear taking your dream trip to Europe because terrorist attacks occur frequently in European airports. Perhaps fear is keeping you from speaking up when someone degrades your friend’s personality. Maybe fear is keeping you from trusting God for your child’s faith. Maybe you fear for someone who is sick.

Fear and safety are often linked together. When in danger, we are often afraid. So we pray that God would wipe the fear away. We hope we will no longer be afraid.

But even the bravest of us are afraid. I’m sure Martin Luther King, Jr. was a bit afraid before giving his speech.

Our prayer shouldn’t be for fear to be eradicated in our hearts. No, we should pray that in our hearts, we would let God shine brighter than our fears. That His glory and power and everything good would surpass what makes us tremble. Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

The recognition of the goodness of God and what he has made good should eclipse our fears. His love conquers fear.

I’ve experienced some scary things in different countries. Some of those experiences should make me never want to return to those countries. I should be afraid of something similar happening, something out of my control. My parents should want me to stay at home, forever safe from harm. However, both my parents and I choose to see that all the good things that happened in each country outweigh the bad that happened. The people I affected, the things I learned, they outweigh any time I thought I might be at risk. Yet we know, I was, still am, and always will be in God’s hands. I choose to see God in every place I’ve gone, whether I encountered danger or not. It’s a choice, just like forgiveness, that I have to consciously choose to remember, every single day.

Some people have told my parents they are “doing the wrong thing for letting me go to dangerous countries.” What makes a country dangerous? Danger is relative. If I am correct, every country is dangerous. Relatively speaking, that is.

There is not a single place on earth that is completely safe (yes, even in Iceland). It’s true, there are many countries much more hazardous than others, but that has never held me back. I am always in God’s hands. You’ll hear some stories throughout the next couple of months of the danger I have been in, minor or not. Adversity doesn’t mean God is absent, it means His providence is in control of the outcome. He calls us to pray that we would see He is bigger than any fear of physical or mental harm; that we would trust him when he is right there in every situation.

So much good can come from young adults travelling abroad to see and experience the diversity of the planet they live on. They can see poverty, think outside of their bubble, spend a couple of weeks outside their comfort zone, and be inspired to help. Maybe even share the gospel. Parents: when it comes to worrying if travelling puts them at risk of harm or cause the loss of their faith, why are you afraid? God has the perfect plan for their life. Instead of being afraid of this, trust God and disciple your children. Show them God’s providence and let them discover His plan for their life. Let them know that the things of the earth are dangerous and scary. Teach them to be cautious. It’s a slippery slope when teens are coddled in the comforts of their home. Young adults need to put their own faith into practice, but how can they do that if their biggest worries are their hair and makeup? Seeing the world sin corrupted can help teens’ faith grow as they are forced to concentrate on someone besides themselves and trust God fully; isn’t that what life is really about?

Sin entered the world and twisted what God made good. So instead of letting them blame God when they see or experience horrific things, teach them to pray for and address the evil of the world. The evil that sin brought out. When I travel abroad, I realise I am so blessed with what I was born into. I personally think this realisation has helped me, as well as other young Christians, see God’s plans and protection through difficult situations. We are alive by grace alone, whether poor or wealthy, so we shouldn’t shelter young adults from the hard truths of the world. They need to know the bad that is occurring and discover how we can help fight the good fight. We can’t save everyone from harm, but we can be an instrument in them knowing that they have been saved from eternal separation from Jesus Christ.

However, NONE of this means we should go venturing into countries that our very presence can cause us harm, like Syria or Afghanistan. Those countries are in war. Would you have visited Germany during World War II? Probably not. Nor should your kids.

It means for the countries you do visit, be mindful. Be a thoughtful voyager. In countries with different cultures than yours, adhere to the customs. Wear skirts and loose pants in Tanzania. Cover your shoulders in Turkey. Talk quietly in France. Don’t be the loud, immodest, drunk American tourist. They are disliked by most every country, so do your part and be safe by blending in. For many places, you are only in danger when you put yourself at risk by not heeding caution. Whenever I visit an even “semi” dangerous country, I keep my wits about me. I try not to stand out. By God’s grace I haven’t gotten in any long-term danger and that’s because God has been right there with me and given me wisdom in different situations. Even if something ever happens, God is still good, and is still leading you, me, and your children. I’m not saying Christians will always be safe in foreign countries, but you can rest assured God is holding you in his palms.

God doesn’t call you to be safe, but that doesn’t mean you can waltz around being stupid. Be wise. Be mindful of your surroundings. Don’t drink from disease ridden rivers. Don’t forget bug spray. But most of all, don’t be afraid; you’re in the hands of the Creator of the universe.

Things to Do in Istanbul in the Winter

Fear: An Appeal to Christian Parents