Fortunately, we had some help conquering the tram system and soon made our way across the city to the mosques and markets. We started our tour with the Blue Mosque. Since I didn’t have a Turkish Bahgat with me I don’t know the history of the Mosque so I’m afraid you’re going to have to google it.
I can tell you that it was gorgeous inside with very colorful and intricate mosaics. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the interior so you’ll have to google that too.
The next stop with the Hagia Sophia which was constructed by Emperor Justinia (?) in the 5th century. It started it’s life as a catholic church but when the Muslims got control of the country several centuries later, it became a mosque (again, google it if you want more history).
After we got our architectural appreciation quota of the day, Eileen and I headed to the Grand Bazaar (shocker) which is the oldest shopping market in the world. 
It was huge! We wandered around like a couple of lost souls for a bit and then braced ourselves and lunged into the shops prepared to haggle like the hardened shoppers that we are. Turkish shop keepers aren’t as fun to negotiate with like the Egyptian shop keepers. They are much more serious about their merchandise and the whole business of selling their products. It takes some of the fun out of it. We wandered around for at least three hours until we finally had enough of that bazaar so we then found our way to the spice bazaar which was a short walk away. This was a lot of fun too and the spices were gorgeous. I wish I had access to these spices in
We finally had enough of shopping (hard to believe, isn’t it?). We found a recognizable road and figured out where we were supposed to catch the tram back to the ship. We decided to eat first and enjoy some delicious kebabs and wine rather than the ickyness we usually get on the ship. The food was excellent and we had a wonderful view of
We were back on the ship by 8:00 and prepared for our trip tomorrow. Should be a fun time.
2 comments:
I've been pining for Istanbul for some reason this week. The more I think about it the more I think this was my favorite port. It's certainly the one I long to return to the most. Thanks for the memories.
I personally don't have any opinion on this matter other than I think the name should revert back to "Byzantium". That and I REALLY feel obligated to fill in the comment section of this blog now...personally obligated...heavy weight...crushing.
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