Today would be our last day in Istanbul, before moving on to Mauritius. However, since our flight doesn’t leave until 1:55 AM, we’ll have the entire day to explore. The hotel gave us an 8 PM check-out, which was nice, as it allowed us to leave our belongings in our room, and freshen up before heading to the airport.

Our plan today was to take a cruise of the Bosphorus. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy in the morning and overcast for much of the day, but we made the best of it. Here are some photos from our cruise.

Here we are passing by our hotel, which is not far from the port where the cruise left from.

We proceeded north, along the European shore of Istanbul.

We continued pasted the Bosphorus Bridge.

Past the second bridge, we crossed over to the Asian shore of Istanbul, and headed south.

Finally, we crossed back to the European side and headed for port.

As we were arriving back to the dock, the sun started shining. Not the best timing! After browsing a few shops in the open market, we walked back up the street toward the hotel.

This particular seafood restaurant caught Nadine’s eye.

After getting packed for our return to the airport, we relaxed on the terrace by the river. The weather has improved dramatically, and it would have been nice to have had these sunny skies during our cruise.

Here is Nadine sitting by the river enjoying the views.

While we sat by the river, in a space of about 15 minutes, a total of four nice boats came by to pick up guests. Some picked up as few as one person, while another was boarded by several dozen. Here are a few of the nice boats to come by.

Before heading in, we took another walk by the hotel pool.

Our car arrived to take us to the airport, and we were on our way. I can’t say enough good things about the service at this hotel. The staff at the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus were all very attentive, helpful and friendly. There is a lot to see in Istanbul, and we will need to make another trip to properly see the rest of the sights. The main purpose of this trip was to visit our next destination, Mauritius, and because we had a flight connection in Istanbul anyway, we just decided to extend our stopover for a couple of days, and we were glad that we did.

Fortunately, the traffic was much lighter for our return trip, and we arrived quickly at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Security here is high, after the bombings in 2016. There were several police checkpoints on the roads approaching the airport. Then arriving at the airport, there was a pre-security checkpoint, just to enter the terminal building, with all baggage x-rayed and passengers screened before we could even check in.

We made it through security, and found our way to the Turkish Airlines Business Class check-in, and relieved ourselves of our bulky luggage. The lines at passport control were HUGE, but we were routed to a priority line for business class, which had nobody in line, and the lone border agent just sitting there using his phone. We whisked through passport control and security, and headed to the lounge.

The Turkish Airlines business class lounge at Istanbul is certainly the nicest airport lounge we’ve been to (even better than some of the First Class lounges). The place is massive, with lots of choice for food. Here is the central staircase between the various levels.

It’s difficult to get bored waiting for your flight here. They have a billiard room just after reception.

They have a golf simulator.

The place just goes on and on.

We relaxed here until it was time to head down to our gate. This lounge makes IST a very nice place for flight connections!

Since it’s now technically the next day, I’ll report on our flight and arrival in Mauritius in the next post.

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.

Due to the time change, this day is rather short for us, so I don’t have a lot to say about Day 2. Most of our explorations will start tomorrow.

We arrived in Istanbul, and met our ride to take us to our hotel. Due to traffic, the drive, which can be done in an hour, ended up taking two. However, we safely made it to our hotel.

Our home for the next two nights will be the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus. We were given an upgraded room on the top floor, which is always appreciated, and taken there right away so we could get refreshed from the long day and night of travel.

The hotel is very nice, as is our room. We are on the European side of Istanbul, about 7 km north of the Sultanamhet, and right on the Bosphorus Strait. While Nadine needed a nap, I decided to explore the hotel grounds. Here are a few photos. The weather is a little overcast, and unfortunately, the forecast is for rain for much of the time we are here.

Here is one of the pools. We probably won’t get a chance to use it, but you never know.

The grounds are literally on the shore of the Bosphorus. While it’s difficult to see in this small photo, that hill in the centre of the photo is the Sultanamhet area, and you can even see the Blue Mosque.

Even the hallways are nicely finished.

I returned to the room, and joined Nadine to call it a night. With any luck, we’ll be well rested tomorrow morning.