Sadly, our first day in Istanbul was dominated by Lisa having to work all day but such is the price to be paid in order to afford such holidays! At least Christos got to wander about a bit and enjoy the sights of Istanbul. With work for Lisa finally done in the evening it was off to the Rumeli cafe where we enjoyed a nice meal of traditional cold starters and lamb stew. Lisa wanted to unwind a bit after her long day so we proceeded to drink through a bottle of wine with dinner ... followed by more wine and wandering. We found a place with live music (and expensive wine!) and Lisa danced away her worries!
Of course, the only problem with drinking until the wee hours (in this case after 1am) is the next morning ... we finally managed to haul our butts out of bed around 11am the next day and wandered to the Grand Bazaar which, although interesting, is not as exciting as one might hope due to the profusion of shops offering the same thing. One thing we did notice was the large amount of vendors of precious metals; the view of precious metals as a store of wealth in countries like Turkey is much more prevalent than it is in N. America; I guess we need a lesson in the real ultimate value of all fiat currencies! Dinner was at a rooftop restaurant and although the views were amazing the food was only mediocre. Ah well, you can't win them all!
With work and hangovers behind us, we really got things off on the right foot on our third day.
We were at Hagia Sophia before it opened at 9am and one of the first groups through the door (highly recommended as by the time we left the place was packed). Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian Church in the world for around 1000 years after its completion in 537AD. It was a mosque from 1453 until 1931 and has since been a museum; but oh what a museum it is!
After Hagia Sophia we visited the ancient Basilica cistern nearby which was constructed under Justinian I and utilized many columns plundered from old pagan temples. Two medusa heads were the coolest pediments of the bunch.
The Basilica cistern is a welcome break from the heat and hustle of the surface and we highly recommend it!
After the Basilica cistern we visited the amazing and beautiful Blue Mosque and even managed to fit in a coffee at Gulhane Park (overlooking the sea) and a trip to the Spice Bazaar. Today was also market day near our hotel and we just couldn't help ourselves; we had to buy some olives!
Of course, the only problem with drinking until the wee hours (in this case after 1am) is the next morning ... we finally managed to haul our butts out of bed around 11am the next day and wandered to the Grand Bazaar which, although interesting, is not as exciting as one might hope due to the profusion of shops offering the same thing. One thing we did notice was the large amount of vendors of precious metals; the view of precious metals as a store of wealth in countries like Turkey is much more prevalent than it is in N. America; I guess we need a lesson in the real ultimate value of all fiat currencies! Dinner was at a rooftop restaurant and although the views were amazing the food was only mediocre. Ah well, you can't win them all!
With work and hangovers behind us, we really got things off on the right foot on our third day. 
We were at Hagia Sophia before it opened at 9am and one of the first groups through the door (highly recommended as by the time we left the place was packed). Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian Church in the world for around 1000 years after its completion in 537AD. It was a mosque from 1453 until 1931 and has since been a museum; but oh what a museum it is!
After Hagia Sophia we visited the ancient Basilica cistern nearby which was constructed under Justinian I and utilized many columns plundered from old pagan temples. Two medusa heads were the coolest pediments of the bunch.
The Basilica cistern is a welcome break from the heat and hustle of the surface and we highly recommend it!
After the Basilica cistern we visited the amazing and beautiful Blue Mosque and even managed to fit in a coffee at Gulhane Park (overlooking the sea) and a trip to the Spice Bazaar. Today was also market day near our hotel and we just couldn't help ourselves; we had to buy some olives!
try and get to the sistern
ReplyDeleteUmm did you read the post?
Deletesome how i missed it on the first read.
ReplyDelete