We had to leave by 5:30 to go see the Trojan Horse. The reason why I had chosen this particular circuit was because it included “Troy”. The only thing I got to see of Troy was the Truva Heykeli Trojan Statue, – the horse which was used by Warner’s Bros to film the movie Troy in 2004. Not a damn ruin, not a damn rock, let alone be near the archaeological site. Damn it, did I choose the circuit badly or what? I do wonder what people thought of us taking structures of the stupid thing at 6:40 in the morning. As we drove north, we saw the Galipoli Peninsula, place of a huge battle between the Ottoman Empire and New Zealand and Australia regiments belonging as part of the British troups.

We continued towards the city of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and another of the World Heritage Sites – Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire. It started off as a settlement around 5,200 BCE, which evolved into a Greek city. Under the Byzantine reign, it was a city known for its garrisons and its silk manufacturing centre. It is considered the origin of the Ottoman Empire, and throughout the period, it flourished through its local silk production. Following the foundation of modern Türkiye, it became an industrial city.

Our first stop was the Grand Mosque of Bursa Bursa Ulu Cami. Its first stone was set in 1399 an important building in the early Ottoman architecture as it found its own style. It is a rectangular building with a fountain from the 19th century at the centre – originally this area was open but it is now closed with glass, forming a skylight. It has two minarets. The interior is mostly white, but at the same time, quite decorated with calligraphy, medallions and vegetal themes.

Then we drove to the Green Mosque Yeşil Camii complex. It was commissioned in 1412 by Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, who is buried in the adjacent Green Tomb Yeşil Türbe – along with his children and their caretakers. Both the mosque and the mausoleum have beautiful decoration in blue-green tiles with gold inserts, which create the motifs and calligraphic inscriptions.

Next to the mosque stands a building which calls itself a Silk House, but is just a huge souvenir shop, nothing even close to the actual Silk Bazaar. Afterwards, we went for lunch, lentil soup and a traditional Bursa kebap İskender kebap, making this another sort-of actual Turkish meal. It uses meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie (döner kebap) on pita bread, with tomato sauce, yoghurt and sheep’s milk butter – which was poured at the table. Dessert was a honey pastry.

Then we continued off back to Istanbul | İstanbul. We got there around 16:00 and I was considering maybe heading out to a church-turned-mosque to see some of the most important museums but… at that point it felt more like a self-imposed obligation that something I really wanted to do because I would enjoy it? It was more of a feeling of “you should do it because you are not going to come back to this country”. But the truth was that I really did not want to do it. I was disappointed in the whole trip experience, and in a way, I did not… I don’t know… care anymore? No balloon over Cappadocia, not enough time for Pamukkale travertines, no Troy. Whatever.

The nice group from the trip invited me to hang out with them for a walk. Together, we walked to the Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı. Then we continued towards Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı, from where we crossed Gülhane Park Gülhane Parkı until we reached the coastline İBB Sarayburnu Parkı, the point in which the Golden Horn and Bosphorous Strait come together. On our way back, we stopped around Sultanahmet Square Sultanahmet Meydanı to take some pictures.

Finally, I headed back to my hotel – Hotel Bi·setun, the same as the first two nights – to order dinner, have a shower and get ready for the return trip.