Around Istanbul – Day 19

After a big breakfast in the hotel breakfast room, we headed out to Sultanahmet Square via funicular and tram. Our first destination was the Basilica Cistern (in Turkish it is called the “Sunken Palace”), which we found after consulting three different maps. In on our travels in Turkey, Camille was considered a child in most places, but not here. We headed down the stairs into the very wet darkness. After exploring for a while, we climbed back out into the sunny day and made our way over to the Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya). The size of the church, its history and its mosaics are all quite impressive. We walked up and up on a ramp to reach the upper floor.

From Hagia Sofia, we walked across the Sultanahmet Park to visit the Blue Mosque. We had to remove our shoes outside. Women went in with heads uncovered, but bare shoulders were not allowed. The mosaics and tile work inside the mosque are gorgeous. Upon leaving the mosque, the girls and Rob decided to get some ice cream; I don’t like the taffy like ice cream sold on the street.

We wandered down the hill to the Istanbul Sirkeci Terminal, the terminus of the Orient Express, then across the street to the ferry docks, where we just managed to catch the IDO Bosphorus Cruise which crisscrossed the Bosphorus up to the Black Sea at Anadolu Kavagi, where we got off and wandered around before sitting down at a waterfront seafood restaurant. There were not many choices for vegetarians, but we made do with what we could find. The girls had yet another ice cream after dinner, then we hoped on the ferry back to Istanbul. Chloe and I napped a good bit of the way!

We disembarked a stop early and walked by the Dolmabahce Palace to Kabatas, where we rode the funicular back to Taksim and walked to our hotel. The girls bought a few souvenir gifts for friends, and then we settled in for our final night in Istanbul.