Istanbul Day 2

---

Day 2: We re-arrange our entire trip this morning, eliminating Konya, and adding Efesus! This takes about 1 hour at a very helpful travel agent in Sultanahmet, but it all works out. We cancel our Meram train ride that took me hours to book, and sign up for TWO overnight bus rides, 12 hours each! That ought to be fun. The manager of the travel agent complains about people who come in and point to the blue mosque, the only mosque in the world with 6 minarets, and ask “Is that the Blue Mosque?”.
We head up to the Grand Bizarre, but it’s closed on Sunday’s. So instead we take the boat ride up the Bosphorus, which is a great way to escape the city. Being a Sunday, there are lots of Turkish families taking a pleasure ride, in addition to tourists. We get off at the 4th stop and find a very local fish restaurant, where a helpful local at the next table gives us a hand ordering.
That night we explore the area behind the Blue Mosque, and Robin spots a tiny kitten at a carpet sales shop. The 15 year old kid who owns the cat has discovered the perfect lure for soft-hearted tourists and 20-something girls. We chat with him for around an hour, talking about our pets, and his love for Mike Tyson (?). He makes a weak attempt to sell us some carpets, but we explain our strong aversion to shopping.

---

Photos

view at bosphoros
we saw a group of swimmers out there!