Walking tour

We had another amazing day of weather. It was tough to wake up this morning so we got some pastries around the corner on the way to our private tour guide for the day. Just a 5 minute walk away, we met him in the Hippodrome - which has two Egyptian obelisks that used to sit in the middle of a huge horse track. They were moved by ship and part of one was lost at sea. Next to the Hippodrome was the Blue Mosque - so named because of the blue tiles inside. It was a beautiful mosque and, at the time of its building 500 years ago, it rivalled the most important mosque in the world in Mecca. Domes became very important to Islam and this dome was the largest in the world at the time. Just across from the Blue Mosque was the Haggia Sofia. Now open in the upper levels as a museum (and, so, not free like the Blue Mosque) the HS is a converted cathedral that was built before Islam existed 1500 years ago. It was converted to a mosque in the early 1900s and still had mosaics of Jesus and the Virgin Mary intact. Though less pretty, I thought it was even more special given its age. Also with largest dome of its time, it stood as an example for many later cathedrals like St. Peter’s in the Vatican City. On our way out, we met one of the many, many cats in Istanbul (though he wasn’t keen on being petted). After a stop for some Turkish tea, baclava and Turkish delights, we went to the Basilica Cistern. The largest known cistern in Istanbul, it apparently had enough water for 500,000 for one year - holding water from Roman aqueducts stretching 30 miles. It was enormous. The cool temperatures and lighting made it feel even larger and the Medusa head bases on two of the columns were thought just to be used as filler to hold up the roof. From the cistern, we walked to the Grand Bazaar. At nearly a mile long, over 60 streets, it was overwhelming. Our tour guide took us to a secret spot for some photos overlooking the roof (and some shopping for Jocelyn) but we decided not to buy anything in the Bazaar (and unfortunately it’s closed tomorrow) before we made our way to the new side of town across the Golden Horn. We walked through a hookah bar (or ‘hubbly bubbly’ as our guide called it) and finished with snacks and drinks at local bar. After a full day, we made our way back past the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque and had a delicious and well earned dinner near our stay. After over 10 miles, we all got to shower before bed.Read more