Spring Break Day 5 - Istanbul, Turkey

Our last stop in Turkey was Istanbul.  It was the port that I was looking forward to the most, but left a bit disappointed.  First, the city is huge and there isn't enough time in one day to see everything.  We were unable to go into the  Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, also known as the Blue Mosque, because we weren't "one of the faithful."  Steve wasn't disappointed in this, but I was really interested to see what it was like.  We were able to walk around the outside, see the Hippodrome, the centre of the public life of the city, built in the second century by Roman Emperor Septimus Severus. We then walked to the Hagia Sophia,  a former Orthodox Basilica, later a mosque and now a museum.  The last thing we were able to see and experience was the Grand Bazaar, which was HUGE and overwhelming!  I could have spent a week in the halls looking at all the amazing carpets, leather, pottery and spices.  We did find some beautiful pottery, a purse for Isabella, a Sultan hat for Jack, a Turkish tea set and some yummy Turkish Delight.

The Blue Mosque:

The Hippodrome:

Hagia Sophia:

The Grand Bazaar:

Sultan Jack: