Istanbul, Turkey

Today we headed across to the other side of the harbour where a lot of the monuments and Mosques are. Because of Eid al-Adha (3 day Turkish celebration ), we knew the Grand Bazaar was closed. We walked down to the tram and hopped on to head over to the Basillica Cistern. When we arrived, there was a huge line. I’d purchased a skip-the-line ticket, so I asked Peter to wait in line while I walked around the block to the entrance to see if there was a shorter line - there wasn’t. 😂 A tour guide approached me asking if I wanted a guide and if I had a ticket already. I explained I was just there to see if there was a shorter, skip-the-line ticket line. He said, this is it. I went to walk back to Peter when he said, come with me! I told him, no, I’m fine thank you, as usually in tourist areas if someone helps you there’s strings attached or a cost involved. He assured me it wouldn’t cost me anything in return. I followed him to the front of the line. There was another line going in the opposite direction with only 4 people in it. He told me to walk directly to the lady with the high vis vest and give her my ticket to scan, and just walk in. Don’t talk to or look at anyone else! I was freaking out but did just as he said, and walked straight in!! 😱😂 I called Peter to let him know to wait for me on the other side. He was also shocked! This place was amazing and so unusual. I walked down the stairs and into, what seemed like, another world. Hundreds of tall pillars sitting in a pool of water. It was dark, damp and musty, but this set the mood. The photos really don’t do it justice. There were very few people inside, as it had only just opened for the day, maybe a hundred at best? I wandered along the boardwalks lost in my surroundings, before heading back up to tell Peter all about it. We then spent about an hour walking through the maze of stalls around the Grand Bazaar and also the beautiful Blue Mosque before walking back across the bridge. We spotted a nice restaurant we wanted to come back to for dinner with an incredible view of the Blue Mosque. We got back to our room and rested for a while before getting ready for dinner. The view of the Mosque all lit up, reflecting on the water was gorgeous. And there was even a massive fireworks display to top our last night off. I’m sure they put them on in our honour. 😂😂 I’m sure it had nothing to do with the Turkish holiday today? 😉 Our very last night on our 65 day holiday. I’m glad I’ve been using this app, there are so many highlights and moments I’d forget if I couldn’t go back through and relive them. Thanks for coming on this journey with us. I hope you enjoyed some of our photos and stories. I know we enjoyed sharing them with you. Not looking forward to tomorrow’s 21 hour direct flight, but we’re definitely looking forward to being home. 🏠 🙏Læs mere