Joining the new group

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Geo: 41.0078, 28.813

Again the weather in Istanbul is beautiful- sunny and no need for a jumper. This afternoon I did the Istanbul city tour on an open double decker bus. It was a great way to orientate yourself with the city- should have done this a few days ago. Went past all the major sites. Saw the long section of the old city wall and gates.
Then went into the Aya Sophia- another old church with many mosaics. In the middle supporting the dome was the biggest piece of scaffolding that was covered in dust and has been there for a long time.
At 6pm went down to the foyer and met my tour leader and the others that were joining the group in Istanbul. There were three of us newbies. Katie the tour leader spoke to us about how it all works and it sounded good to me. Met some of the group and we went out for dinner together. I finally tasted apple tea and it was beautiful! There are 32 of us, 3 crew, a few couples and the rest are girls.

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Photos

01 Aya Sofya
Spire of the church.

02 Another mosque
Another mosque, another landmark covered in scaffolding with trams in the foreground.

03 Galata Bridge
This bridge takes you to the other side of the city and smells very fishy.

04 Old city wall
Part of the old city wall.

05 Scaffolding in Aya Sofya
Lots of scaffolding supporting the dome.

06 The ceiling
Ceiling of the church

07 Mosaics
Beautiful, old mosaics

08 Looking up
Looking up at the arches