We were given 45 mins for lunch and there were quite a few places around to choose from. Unfortunately the one we fancied (which sold beer and delicious looking toasted cheese sandwiches) didn't take card so we walked on ignoring the abuse from one guy who took exception to us not liking the look of his toasted offerings (panini). Eventually we found ourselves upstairs in a little restaurant with an extremely limited menu of lentil soup and meatballs plus, luckily for me, chips!
I loved this display in a lighting shop we passed.
We were to met up again on the edge of the main square where the trams stop. There was a Tourist Information booth there so Ian and I popped in to get a map and enquire about trams for our last day.
We then trundled off to the nearby Basilica Cistern where luckily Göksel could get our group fast track entrance as once again there was a long queue. I didn't have a clue what an underground cistern was, but it was an amazing place built around the same time as Hagia Sofia for storing the imperial water supply, the cathedral-like ceiling is supported by 336 columns, 9m high. It fell into disuse during Ottoman times but has since been fully restored and benefits from some dramatic lighting techniques.
Just a few columns are decorated.
I'm guessing this head fell off something and has just been left where it landed.
And a couple of strange art installations.
A thoroughly fascinating half-hour, but no time to stop and reflect as we're now heading for the Blue Mosque. En route we passed the Milion Stela which was part of an arched monument built in the 4th century marking the starting point for all roads leading to Byzantine towns (aka the centre of the (known) world at the time).
And also this beautifully dressed young man who happily posed for a photo. One of our group was able to tell me that it was the day of his circumcision ouch! There doesn't appear to be a set age for the procedure, but I've read that to prevent psychological trauma it can't be done between 2 and 6 years as the child is too young to understand and just remembers the pain.
I confess I was rather underwhelmed when we got to the Blue Mosque (officially
Sultan Ahmet Mosque, hence the name of the square) as it looked rather grey and
boring. Built in early 17th century one of the most distinctive
elements of this mosque is that it has six minarets, as opposed to the usual
two or four of most of the city’s mosques. Legend has it that this is
because of a misunderstanding – when the Sultan decreed there should be altın minaret (gold
minarets), the architect heard altı minaret (six minarets) – an easy
mistake to make! This caused some controversy, as the only other mosque
with six minarets at that time was the Prophet’s mosque in Mecca – a problem
the sultan overcame by ordering a seventh to be added in Mecca.
Inside there are so many light fittings it's hard to get clear shots.
Much of the original paintwork and the 20,000 handmade Izmik tiles which decorate the interior were blue (then the most expensive colour to produce). However in 1883 much of the mosque's interior painted decoration was replaced which somewhat changed the overall colour scheme. There are still some of the original tiles to be seen.
I wasn't so keen on the carpet in this one, definitely preferred Hagia Sofia's.
This young lady was trying very hard to be invisible whilst sitting next to a sign which says "please do not sit here"
Once outside again I got a bit carried away.
Converging verticals.
Which wcorrected in Photoshop can cause slight distortion.
Heading back across the square towards Topkapi Palace which is virtually next door to Hagia Sofia - I know Göksel is trying his best to avoid the worst of the crowds but we do seem to be retracing our steps rather a lot.
We're actually queuing along the backside of the Hagia Sofia in the longest queue so far with over half an hour of slow shuffling. I found a low wall for the lady with the new knee to sit on to save her standing but I think we could all have done with a sit down.
This lovely building is the Fountain of Ahmed III - I just wish I'd bothered to wait for the headless bottom to finish drinking.
Here we had turnstiles to negotiate and the pushing and shoving that went on was unbelievable.
Once inside the vast complex Göksel gave us numerous options of what we could see, all of which seemed to involve joining the end of very long queues; the queue for the Harem was particularly long and even he doubted we'd reach its front before we had to leave. So Ian and I wandered around aimlessly for a while before deciding to head for the Treasury to look at some of the exhibits in there. I started to go in but the place was rammed and I started to feel very anxious so fought my way back outside to wait for Ian. Fortunately I found a guard who spoke a little English and he was able to confirm which door Ian would emerge from otherwise we could easily have lost each other. Ian said he couldn't get near enough to see anything he wanted to and the only positive was an open area with a lovely view of the Bosphorus.
Tower of Justice
Imperial Palace Chamber
This next photo is a classic example of getting more than you bargained for; I was shooting for the lady and gent up top (sadly she turned her head at the last minute) but I hadn't spotted any of the others and I rather like it, even if the curly head looks misaligned.
Hooded crows enjoying a drink.
View over the Bosphorus Strait to the Asian part of Istanbul.
The very opulent Baghdad Pavilion
Although sadly I only appear to have taken one photo of the ceiling and none of the beautiful walls.
By now the queue to visit the harem was moving quite quickly so we decided to join it, and with that it promptly ground to a halt for the next 10 mins or so. I was concerned that we didn't have any tickets to present and tried to ask the staff without success, but in the end we just walked straight in. By now we were a little short of time so we literally kept on walking straight through all the rooms.
I loved the soft setting sun on these chimney stacks as we emerged from the harem.
We then walked back across Sultanahmed Square for the 99th time to look at the hippodrome (nothing to see) and Theodosius's Obelisk (first erected in Karnak Temple during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425
BC) which was moved and re-erected in Istanbul in 390 AD.
There were numerous military parades going on including 100+ boats on the Bosphorus (didn't see any) and this fly past by the Turkish Stars.
Everywhere we've been today has been covered in Turkish and Atatürk flags which rather took away the essence of the place - much like Disneyland Paris near Halloween when pumpkins dominated.
Sunset fishing in the Golden Horn.
Unfortunately I was too slow to get this guy before he turned away - I wish I knew what he was carrying.
After a quick shower and change of shoes we headed out to find somewhere for dinner. Although we have brought some wine with us, we also wanted to try to get some for later in the holidays but, although we found a boozeria, only Turkish wines were for sale and not knowing a good one from a bad one we thought it best to save our £££. We found a nice looking pizzeria with a friendly but not pushy waiter and sat outside enjoying the warm evening. Our first taste of Turkish çay and my goodness it was revolting - very bitter!
Phew - exhausted doesn't come close!