Playing Tourist:Cistern/Topkapi Palace

A quick stop next at the Basilica Cistern nearby. I know it best from Dan Brown's Inferno, though others will recall it from other movies. Sadly it wasn't quite as beautiful as in the movie (I blame Hollywood!) but it was still cool to see the space and the columns and Medusa heads. There wasn't any water either, but one can imagine it. We also saw the weeping column. It appears wet and was carved differently from the rest, perhaps in dedication to the workers of the cistern.

On to Topkapi Palace. I recommend spending a few hours here and some prior research of what you really want to see if you're short on time. I ended up getting the audio guide and went everywhere I could, though I'm struggling to remember (writing this a few days later) if I saw the Treasury. I must have, but there were quite a few exhibits where photos weren't allowed. The item to see of note is an 86K diamond they call the spoon diamond, but I either missed it or glazed over it. Oops.

Otherwise, it's pretty easy to move from courtyard to courtyard and building to building. I visited rooms where the Ottomon empire decisions were made, the various kitchens, the library, the dorm for students, courtyards overlooking the Bosphorus and the harem (extra cost here).Read more