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In Madagascar, the government is facing backlash over a promise it made last year to relocate part of its capital city Antananarivo into the nearby hills. The capital is overcrowded, and that’s led to air pollution, traffic jams and flooded slums. But as Sharon Ogunleye reports, those challenges haven’t convinced people who’re about to lose their farmlands to the project

ONE YEAR IN ISTANBUL

Amazing how time flies. Been in Istanbul for a year but I've been heavily distracted with work and family and never took time to just breathe and take in the city so I decided I was gonna mark my first year in the city by visiting some historical sights I hadn't been to.

Thankfully I had one of my colleagues with me so I wasn't enjoying the trip alone and if I was gonna miss my way, I had company and we'd figure it out together. I had missed my way so many times in the past year so I wasn't bothered anymore. 

We started the day with a visit to Grand Bazaar, one of the largest markets in the world with thousands of shops and dozens of streets. It's existed since the 15th century. The trick is to get there early before the place gets crowded. If you want to visit, I suggest you browse through different shops if you see an item you like and get a good bargain. And it's quite easy to locate. A train ride from Mecidiyekoy to Aksaray and then few minutes walk to where we took a tram to Grand Bazaar. We got hungry after feasting our eyes on some lovely items and stopped by the Historical Subasi Restaurant to have lunch. The food is good but pricey and why not? It's got history written all over it, trophies and photographs. And the staff were great. It's also been passed down from generation to generation and we got to meet the current owners.
Next stop was the Hagia Sophia. And apparently, a favourite for hundreds as people kept trooping in to the first church that was later turned to a mosque and then a museum. The experience was everything. Renovations were being done is some parts of the building. Would not mind visiting again.
The Blue Mosque was just few minutes walk from The Hagia Sophia so we joined the long queue. Took us over an hour to make it inside and we had to take off our shoes. Once we were in, we were told we needed to be quick as they were about to close. It's breathtaking from the outside and was built in the 16th century by the Sultan Ahmet so it holds great significance especially cos it has six minarets. It's open to visitors at certain times during the day cos it's still used for prayers. And if you're wondering why it's called the Blue Mosque, it's cos the interior has bluish decoration. There are a couple of historical sites in that same area we could not get to cos of time but we will another day. What an awesome ride this past year has been. Can't wait to experience more of Turkey and share my experiences with you.

With my colleague Kaitlyn

Hagia Sophia

The Blue Mosque