9am came painfully quickly. I finally got some sleep after the 4:30am call to prayer and was in no shape to face the world in this time zone yet, but acquiesced, not willing to sleep away our very hard-earned vacation.
We headed downstairs for the complimentary Turkish breakfast: bread, soft boiled eggs, veggies, cheese, olives, cereal, yogurt, jam (fruit and olive varies), and tea. Feeling slightly perkier (I think it was a combo of the very necessary shower and two cups of Turkish tea, like a mix between english breakfast and early grey, but tastes less like bandaids, we set out on today’s adventures.
First off was the Blue Mosque. We waited in a short line, admired the many “mosque cats,” took off our shoes, converted our pashminas into head scarves and entered in the mosque to admire the great domed architecture, ornately patterned blue tiles and golden calligraphy. Although the entire mosque smelled of sweaty feet (a downside of the no shoe rule) and wafts of spicy BO (a downside to the Turks), we enjoyed it thoroughly. We took the touristy Rick Steve’s guidebook, which helped explain and add value to everything we saw.
David, Carla, Shane and I covered up in the Blue Mosque
Outside the Blue Mosque
Next up: Hagia Sofia. Just up the street was another great architectural treat. It was here that I discovered my passion for our gorilla pod and its great indoor, low lighting, non flash and two second timer photo taking. It was also here that this passion turned deadly and I snapped the tripod in two, thush dashing all my hopes and dreams, at least until we found some super glue. We liked the quirky parts of this site, like how many of the windows were asymetrical, with maybe two windows on one side and a painted one on the other side, presumably to save structural integrity. There wer also great mixes of Christian and Muslim iconography since the mosque was originally a Christian church.
Hagia Sofia from the Blue Mosque
Hagia Sofia at sunset
Interior
There was a hole in the wall that promised that if you spun your thumb around in it and felt water, your prayer/wish would come true. Did not feel any water.
Posing.
We dined on recommended meatballs, salty yogurt drinks and salad for lunch, relaxed on the rooftop terrace of our hotel with views of the Blue Mosque and Bosphorous Strait, while we planned our next sights and listened (hard to do anything else) to yet another call to prayer.
We hurried over to the Underground Cistern (very neat), had kebabs and fresh lavosh on a chilly terrace with a view, and headed home, thoroughly exhausted.
The Underground Cistern – thanks, gorilla pod!
Fishes and moneys in the water
Upside down Medusa head held up one of the pillars
View of the Bosphorous from a Tea cafe at the edge of a park.
We saw lots of little boys walking around wearing little sultan costumes. Apparently they get to wear that after they get circumcised. So lucky.
Dinner with a view
Next up: Bosphorous Cruise!
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