We had an early 0800 start in an attempt to beat the worst of the crowds at our first stop, Dolmabahçe Palace. It was only about 10 mins from the hotel but there was already a queue waiting for the 0830 opening.
As you can see from the image below Giriş means entrance but when we first saw the word at the airport we both read it as girls so Ian immediately looked around for the boys' entrance!
Everywhere are red flags and many people wearing red and white outfits.
Sadly Turkey in general and Istanbul in particular is notorious for terrorist attacks and consequently security is very, very tight. We had to go through numerous scanners and bag checks although Ian could readily bypass them just by pointing to his chest. Queuing was very good natured but inevitably there was a lot of pushing and shoving at pinch points and I can't help thinking a few strategically placed barriers were needed to funnel the traffic.
The formal gardens inside the grounds.
Gate of the Treasury.
The building was the 19th century vision of Sultan Abdulmecid, its excess fuelled by his desire to upstage his European rivals and the rooms where beautifully decorated and furnished. There are 258 rooms and 46 halls and to say it was busy is an understatement; having queued patiently for ages once people got to the main entrance it just became a scrum with everyone channelled through a tiny entrance way and we then literally shuffled through in one long continuous line. It was hideous! Photography was banned although many "nationals" happily used their phones for photos and videos throughout and simply feigned ignorance when challenged. In the end one of our group took a couple and then so did I.
It was a relief when we finished and were outside again, looking out over the Bosphorus Strait.
I'm not sure what these are, they look like Spanish Churros.
Nor these and the chap turned away pretty smartly so I didn't have a chance to ask.
We were then straight back on the bus to our next destination, this is a grab shot as we were passing this shop which apparently sells the finest Lokum or Turkish Delight you can buy.
We're now in Sultanahmet Square and queuing once again, this time to enter Hagia Sofia mosque. The queue is massive and snakes all around the square but we're assured it moves quite quickly once the mosque has reopened after prayers.
Seeing all the sweet chestnuts for sale made me hungry so I bought us a small bag - unfortunately they were barely cooked and quite revolting.
Maybe I should have got sweetcorn instead.
This is a Letter Throwing Box - a much more exciting description than a post box don't you think?
Hagia Sofia, also known as Aya Sofia and The Church of Holy Wisdom. was dedicated in 536 and its dome has inspired architectural design for over 1500 years. Having said that the square is heaving, I seem to have managed to take a photo virtually devoid of people!
This young lady obviously hadn't come appropriately dressed and was therefore made to put on extra clothing.
The inside is beautiful.
I would imagine that the majority of people were visitors like us and although they were all perfectly well behaved and attired, it made it difficult to think of it as a place of worship.
I watched this lady for a good few minutes whilst she changed her position, pose and expression numerous times and even swopped headscarves before she was happy with her picture.
Of course a few were there doing their devotions.
Ian is modelling his whispering device. Our guide speaks at low volume into a microphone and we all have earphones in, which works really well. The range is quite good and it means he doesn't have to wait for everyone to be around him before he starts talking. For me it's perfect as I can wander off to my heart's content and also hear what he's saying - although most of it doesn't stick.
We weren't told at the time, but I've since learned that this area is for people performing ritual cleansing (Wudu) before prayer.
Time now for lunch.