Istanbul- formerly Constantinople

Our first full day in Istanbul, it is hard to convey how striking this city is, the hills, the old town studded with dozens of Mosques, the calls to prayer ringing out across the city, The Bosphorus with the ferries, freight ships and bridges, the mopeds, the old men playing board games and drinking fruit teas, the old and the new.
This morning we walked around the Sultanahmet area and viewed the Blue Mosque (named for the inside colors) it is very stunning and the photos don't do it justice. Then we joined the queue to see the Basilica Cistern, a huge underground Roman water source that has 336 marble columns, built about 500AD. 7000 slaves were involved in the construction, and a Basilica had previously stood above the Cistern. There is a few others around the city still, but this is the biggest.
This afternoon we found our new apartment which is great and has a balcony with a sea view. We had a good day looking around the district, Istanbul is full on, busy and noisy, also very exciting.Read more