Its our final full day in Istanbul and we packed it so full of historical sites , we are absolutely exhausted!! The Blue Mosque pictured above is one of the most distinctive sites in Istanbul. It is the blue tiles on the inside of the mosque that lend to the name , but the outside is just as spectactular!!
It was touristy as all get out which is the reason we chose to put it off till the last minute. Luckily this is low season and not too bad as far as tourist sites go. The Turks are so polite too….never any of the push peddling of wares except for the Turkish Carpet salesmen who each are from wherever you tell them you are from….it’s so fun to BS them and they are good sports when they find you have been just as manipulative as they are
Above is a guy roasting chestnuts and corn…yummy!!
Our favorite line from a vendor was today. He said “if you are looking for a place to get rid of your money…come in and see my rugs” Now THATS HONEST!! lol!
These planters were so unexpected in front of the Mosque
One of the spires on the Blue Mosque…can you believe that blue sky and how we lucked out on the weather..especially after those terrible floods here 3 weeks ago
Bling had to stay outside the Mosque because she forgot to bring a head scarf and long sleeves…no biggie..Steve went inside and did a video and took photos we will show and Bling later!
Steve discovers a new way to scratch a kitty without getting bit or starting to itch ..he’s so allergic. The cats followed him around like he was their idol
That’s shortie me alongside the Egyptian Obelisk…this was so impressive
A closeup of some of the detailed hieroglyphs
A cutie bead salesman by the Mosque
We are now heading to the Mosaic Museum
The streets were dotted with vendors with colorful wares
This museum was AWESOME…the Byzantine mosaics were unearthed and restored…each tile only a bit larger than 1/4″
The color was actually the stone color and not paint
Looking down at one of the floor panels from above
The 3 bears were my favorite. The mother bear is plucking pomegranates out of the tree and tossing them to her baby
Time for a Turkish Tea break!! We found the most awesome cafe and we were the ONLY ones there. We sat right under the Blue Mosque and lo and behold the Call to Prayer started about 20 minutes after we arrived.
GO TO THE UPPER LEFT COLUMN OF THE BLOG TO HEAR FOR YOURSLEVES WHAT MILLIONS COME TO EXPERIENCE IN PERSON!!
Here is the cafe right under the dome
The cooles thing is this cafe is the excavation site of the mosaics!
Now back out and about to head to the Roman Cistern
Some colorful scenes enroute by foot
I loved this fountain.
How cute is this
Talk about a statement!! Its the only thing purple I can recall here
The ancient Cistern of Roman times was surreal!! Click here to read about the history..it is fascinating as was the site. I could have stayed there for hours
Weird photo I took with a long exposure!! Almost like aparitions of the past
Fish were swimming in the water. I had goosebumps the entire time we were down there. It was like being transported back in time
The columns were massive and intricately carved…this is all under ground
The perfect mirror reflection
Here’s those pale pomegranates I was telling you about yesterday
Our last stop was the Topkopi Palace on the top of the hill overlooking Istanbul
Look at the interesting markings on this kitty!!
I’d love to know what kind of tree this is. It had maple shaped leaves
Lots of gold gilt everywere
Of course I see the walkways as art!!
And look at this rooftop!
Bling has hit the wall…she needs a break and a brew before we return by subway to the hotel
And one final pit stop at the local Starbucks to get our Istanbul mug to add to our growing collection!!!
