Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th August
Another two days exploring Istanbul’s wonderful sights.
Janice and I headed across the Sea of Maramar from Asia to Europe (still facinated by that concept) to explore some of the well-known tourist sights of Istanbul.
We went into the city to see Aya Sofya a mosque built in 537 with a dome diameter of over 30 metres. It was amazing to think that we were walking in the same place as many generations before us.We then explored the Basilica Cistern which was quite eerie and we thought that we should have been in a Walt Disney movie on a small boat weaving in and out of the columns via water.
The next tourist attraction after lunch (provided by a street stall) was the Blue Mosque. We had to take off our shoes and cover legs and shoulders. The Blue Mosque was constructed between 1606 and 1616. Unlike Aya Sofya, it has 4 massive ‘elephont’s feet’ pillars which hold up the leess ambitious dome.
We then met up with Jenny, Amandos & Josh Robles at the Grand Bazaar after we eventually found our way to the meeting point. If you are seriously into shopping and want options this is the place to go – with over 4000 shops and several kilometres of lanes it was easy to get lost and even overwhelmed at times. All shop owners were keen to make a sale and try and urge you into looking at their wares. On a few occasions where we said that “we were just looking” their reply was “we’re just selling”! Great to also test out bartaring skills to try to get a bargain.
Next stop was the spice bazaar – a huge variety of colours and aromas.
Before leaving Istanbul the last place that we wanted to explore was the Dolmabahce Palace. We had to pay $20YTL for a guided tour. Well worth it. Even though we had to adorn some very stylish shoe coverings!The Dolmabahce Palace was built between 1843-1856 under the order of the Empire’s 31st sultan, Sultan Abdulmecid. It is the biggest palace in Turkey with 285 rooms, 44 halls and 68 toilets.
The most magnificent room in the entire palace was the Muayede Hall which is used to host all state ceremonies and receptions.
In the middle of the hall is a magnificent chandelier – it wieghs 4.5 tonnes and holds 664 bulbs. The tour guide said that it only gets put on for important people (e.g. royalty) but there is one exception – it was lit for James Bond (Sir Sean Connery)!
After all the exploring of Istanbul and the fellowship with the Robles it was time to head on with our journey – next stop Izmir.