It was a good night sleep and I'm ready to explore.
Hotel breakfast was good, bread, tomato, cucumber, cheese, olives, HALVA!!, spreads and strong coffee.
I started off going to Aya Sofya, Istanbul's most famous monument and I know why....it is magnificent. It was completed in 537AD, as a church, then in 1453 it was converted to a mosque. In 1935 Ataturk (father of Turkey) proclaimed it a museum. Here are some photos....
There were loads of tourists in the Museum but that did not stop me from spending 2 hours in this amazing place.
Next stop was the Blue Mosque, a 5 minute walk from Aya Sofya. Externally it is more impressive than AS, but internally, AS wins (only slightly!!). It was built in 1603-17 by the Sultan of the time. Most of the decoration on the walls are murals of tiles. It is still used by Muslims for prayer so we had to be covered and not wear shoes in the building.
Since my hotel is so close I had a break there. The weather isn't warm so I had to put on another layer.
My intention was to then see Topkapi Palace but by this stage the queue's were enormous so I went and spent the next 3 hours exploring the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient and Tiled Kiosk - I forgot what an extensive history Turkey has in terms of foreign rule, change of religious influence, and the varying empires of the day. I had a great time!
Then I wandered the streets a little, seeing where it would take me. I found a famous Obelisk of Theodosius, carved in Egypt around 1450BC, the rough stone obelisk (under repair), and Hippodrome (remains of a town that was the centre of Byzantium then Ottoman life for 1400 years), that is now a park. A youth festival is on with activities for children and adolescents.
By this stage the camera battery was wearing out so I went back to the hotel, and whilst it was charging, sorted out my trip to Gallipoli (day trip from Istanbul in a weeks time - will be a really long day), and accommodation for the last two nights. After checking the internet (limited accommodation available within my price range), I checked my current hotel and they can accommodate me so I just booked it.
Dinner was disappointing, grilled fish overcooked and salad that wasn't fresh. Pity. Early night updating blog and sorting through photos. It is a cold night, I had my fleece on, so was happy to be tucked up in bed.
Note - Turkey and Morocco are so similar ie cats wandering around, males out and about more than females (not as much in Turkey), restaurants hawking for business, predominantly Muslim culture, amazing architecture, focus on mosaics to decorate eg buildings.
Hotel breakfast was good, bread, tomato, cucumber, cheese, olives, HALVA!!, spreads and strong coffee.
I started off going to Aya Sofya, Istanbul's most famous monument and I know why....it is magnificent. It was completed in 537AD, as a church, then in 1453 it was converted to a mosque. In 1935 Ataturk (father of Turkey) proclaimed it a museum. Here are some photos....
 |
| From the outside |
 |
| And inside shots |
 |
| Mosaic |
Next stop was the Blue Mosque, a 5 minute walk from Aya Sofya. Externally it is more impressive than AS, but internally, AS wins (only slightly!!). It was built in 1603-17 by the Sultan of the time. Most of the decoration on the walls are murals of tiles. It is still used by Muslims for prayer so we had to be covered and not wear shoes in the building.
 |
| From the outside |
 |
| In the courtyard |
 |
| On the inside |
Since my hotel is so close I had a break there. The weather isn't warm so I had to put on another layer.
My intention was to then see Topkapi Palace but by this stage the queue's were enormous so I went and spent the next 3 hours exploring the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient and Tiled Kiosk - I forgot what an extensive history Turkey has in terms of foreign rule, change of religious influence, and the varying empires of the day. I had a great time!
Then I wandered the streets a little, seeing where it would take me. I found a famous Obelisk of Theodosius, carved in Egypt around 1450BC, the rough stone obelisk (under repair), and Hippodrome (remains of a town that was the centre of Byzantium then Ottoman life for 1400 years), that is now a park. A youth festival is on with activities for children and adolescents.
 |
| Local shoe shine |
 |
| Obelisk |
 |
| Crowd watching a very bad but enthusiastic youth band |
By this stage the camera battery was wearing out so I went back to the hotel, and whilst it was charging, sorted out my trip to Gallipoli (day trip from Istanbul in a weeks time - will be a really long day), and accommodation for the last two nights. After checking the internet (limited accommodation available within my price range), I checked my current hotel and they can accommodate me so I just booked it.
Dinner was disappointing, grilled fish overcooked and salad that wasn't fresh. Pity. Early night updating blog and sorting through photos. It is a cold night, I had my fleece on, so was happy to be tucked up in bed.
Note - Turkey and Morocco are so similar ie cats wandering around, males out and about more than females (not as much in Turkey), restaurants hawking for business, predominantly Muslim culture, amazing architecture, focus on mosaics to decorate eg buildings.
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