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Aya Sofya
We saw about 4 different ways to spell or say the name of this former Church/Mosque, but ın Turkish its Aya Sofya. As we took this picture we were looking directly at the Blue Mosque. You wouldnt believe how close they are! We were really disappointed to have to leave Jordan because it was such a warm and wonderful country -- but it is also the last flight we take before our flight home to Oregon.
We stayed the night in the Amman airport as our flight for Istanbul was at 3:00am. We basically sat around playing rummy and catching up on our reading....but it gave us a chance to put together a game plan for the Turkish capital city.
Jessica had the Lonely Planet out and read about all the different neighborhoods...and found a great sounding hotel near all the sights (Sides Hotel).
We had originally thought we would take the rail to our hotel...but we were both so tired that it just wasn't worth the frustration. A taxi took us and we drove right past the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya (another Wonder of the World)..and one block later was our little hotel! Literally our hotel was between these two amazing sites....we were maybe 200 yards from one and 150 yards from the other!!!
They had a room and it was reasonable. (For Travelers: there are a ton of hotels all around these sites...and you should
not have to pay more than 40-50 euro for a VERY nice room. If you take the time just to get down near these sites you will find a ton of little hotels, don't worry. On the other side of the tourist sites there were decent hotels for around 20 euro or less)
We took power naps and then headed to the Topkopi Palace -- maybe 400 yards from our hotel.
What a location for a palace!
The view overs the waters of Istanbul were great and the site could not have been more perfect......but we were there on a day where the entry fee had been waved (free to get in) --- OH MY GOSH!!! There were thousands, and I mean THOUSANDS, of other tourists there with us...which made the experience a little overwhelming for two tired travelers. We visited the Palace Harem where the Sultan and his concubines lived, but at some point there were just too many people and we headed out. We had to stand in line for 10 mınutes just to get out of the place!
After the Palace we headed to a small cafe to have lunch and relax. Istanbul
has so many little restaurants that have the best food! We gained a little more weight on our stop here...
After another power nap we walked a ways down toward the ferry and train staion to the famous spice market. Just my kind of place -- tons of nuts, dried fruits, and so much more.
The odd thing is that many shops advertised something else..."Turkish Viagra"...and they had contests over whose was the most potent (not impotent) version...4 times per night...5 times per night...and then finally a store went over the top and advertised SIX TIMES per night! See photos. The walk through Istanbul was great as you could just turn into any alley-way and find a neat little restaurant -- we really enjoyed our time to walk and see the city.
The next day we saw the new 7 wonders winner Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya). Its a big Mosque that was originally built as a Christian church by Emporer Justinian in the 500'sAD before it was converted to a Mosque not too much later on. Actually the original structure was from like 400BC, but not in its current form at all. Had drinks at
a few cute little cafes (mostly an excuse to sit down have a water and play some rummy...after a whole month I have finally retaken the lead...YESSSSS!!!! (but not for long...- Jessica)).
Finally we visited the Grand Bazaar. A huge complex with everything you'd ever need to buy and so much more that you'd NEVER need to buy. We had lunch inside the Grand Bazaar at the little restaurant called Havulu Restaurant -- this is a do not miss if you go. The food and service were amazing. We just kept eating and eating...it was so good.
I knew that we would be going back as Jessica left with empty hands. I have been able to hold her back from buying artsy garbage with the excuse that we had to haul it around the world...but that stops now I think.
Side note: This is where the differences lies when you get married. Jess likes to go to the artisan markets and buy stuff for family and friends...I figure that I am too cheap to buy stuff like that, my family knows it, and everyone is happy. We have decided to continue with the status quo...Jess' family: you Basilica Cisterns
This huge underground cistern (place where water was stored) was a nice place to escape the Istanbul mid-day heat. It was really dark down there, but this picture shows a highlighted row of columns. are getting stuff, and to the George side: tough luck you should sweet talk Jessica.
The next big job was figuring out what the heck we were doing for the next week. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by a local travel agent who ended up taking care of everything until the 28th which was just what we were looking for.
We are going to Southern Turkey for a Mediteranean cruise for 4 days, see some hots springs and then up to Ephesus to see the ruins. After that we are leaving Turkey on a ferry - off to the Greek Islands!
Our final day in Istanbul was repacking and then heading out to see the final two "must sees" in Istanbul: The Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern -- wow and wow!
The Blue Mosque was built to rival the neighboring Hagia Sophia...but they are both very beautiful. The Blue Mosque is as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside (it was just too dark for our camera to capture...so there are no pictures for you to see).
The Basilica Cistern is a huge (about 450' by
The Sultan's bed in 'The Harem'
The Harem housed all the wifes, concubines etc. of the household. It had beautiful blue tiles on the walls and ceiling. 200' by 27'h) underground reservoir built between 527-565 AD by the Emperor Justinian I and it can store 100,000 tons of water. It was a great cool break from what had been a increasingly hot day (the weather in Istanbul was just perfectly comfortable...but got a little hot the final day).
Istanbul feels European - like your walking in Rome or Madrid...it is so comfortable to just relax and enjoy. We could have seen everything we saw in 1-2 days no problem...but Istanbul makes you want to relax and have a cup of apple tea in the comfort of a little cafe...so that is what we did...a lot.
We can't wait to tell you about our trip to southern Turkey as our trip around the world is drawing to a close. We are also looking forward to a future trip back to Turkey. There is still much we would like to see here.
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