Beautiful Istanbul
Trip Start
Mar 28, 2008
1
8
Trip End
Apr 09, 2008
Where I stayed
Istanbul, Turkey
Thursday, March 27, 2008
In Istanbul, as our hotel was centrally located in the Old quarter, we opted out of tours and walked the city. The first day we had some rain, walked over 12 miles, got lost twice but managed to see the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapi, the Galata Bridge, the Taksim District, the New Mosque and Suleimen’s Mosque! Whew, we were pooped.
It is hard to say which of these sites was most impressive but I think I would rate the Blue Mosque as number one. Topkapi grounds are nice but I was actually disappointed in what we saw. The bazaars are fabulous and if you aren't careful you can roam them for hours. The Galata Bridge was fun to cross as fishermen hang over the edges of the bridge attempting to capture their evening meal. And St. Sophia, a wonderful museum to the two great religions which once occupied the building.
The next day the sun was bright so we repeated some of the above (over 5.5 miles) to get great pictures. The Blue Mosque is unbelievably beautiful and probably one of our most photographed subjects. While touring the mosque we met a young Turk who eventually led us to his uncle’s carpet store. We were definitely tempted to purchase a rug although we had no intention of doing so, as we remembered our dear, loving kitty Bumi, who would have destroyed it in a minute. The bazaars were fascinating but we bought nothing as we have so many goodies we don’t have room for more. Life is great and so was the trip!
