After spending the previous night on an airplane, it was nice to wake up after a sleep in a real bed. We had breakfast at the hotel, which was quite good, and we tried to eat as many traditional Turkish breakfast items as possible.

The weather forecast for today is not great, with rain forecasted in the afternoon. The morning is supposed to remain partly cloudy and relatively dry, so we decided to get out early.

We took a taxi down to the Sultanamhet area of Istanbul, because that is where most of the sights we wanted to see are located. Following a few cobblestone streets, we arrived at the Blue Mosque.

As with all mosques, we took our shoes off before entering. They give you plastic bags to carry your shoes in, so you don’t have to leave them sitting around where they might walk off without your feet in them. On many of our travels, we come across signs that just make you shake your head, and ask yourself, did they really need to say this? Here is one such sign.

We entered the mosque to see this.

Certainly an impressive structure, but honestly, I was expecting something even larger inside. Just my opinion, but I thought the inside didn’t live up to expectations based on the outside of the building.

After touring the mosque, we headed down to a market just below.

Lots of shops selling jewellery, ceramics, rugs and spices… especially rugs and spices.

We headed back up toward the square between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. Below is the Blue Mosque.

And 180 degrees behind is the Hagia Sophia, shown below.

Not far away is the Basilica Cistern. The photos below were taken in very low light with a long exposure time, so they didn’t come out great, but you should get a good idea of the place. I left my tripod at home and my flash back in the room, both of which would have been useful.

Before heading back to the hotel, we quickly explored one more market in the area.

We decided to head back to the hotel before the rain started, so we called a taxi and headed back. Back at the hotel, we were relaxing out by the river when it started to rain.

An option to consider in the future, if traffic is bad, is an airport transfer by boat. We saw a number of boats pulling up to the hotel.

Back in the hotel, here is Nadine wondering why her orchids at home don’t look like this!

Feeling a bit hungry, and wanting to try some typical Turkish food, we walked down the road a short ways to the Hanedan Restaurant. Here we are walking by the traffic we were stuck in yesterday.

The restaurant was located down by the ferry docks, where we had a nice view of the bustle of the city, and the food was excellent.

After walking back to the hotel, I tried to take a few night shots around the hotel grounds. Again, my tripod would have been helpful.

Looking up the river, you can see the Bosphorus Bridge.

After a full day, we decided to turn in for the night.