Istanbul: First Two Days

We arrived Saturday evening to find this gorgeous sunset welcoming us to Istanbul after a long trip.  Turkish Airlines was great - left on time, arrived on time, and they still have the "old fashioned" service of feeding you constantly (and free alcohol to help Michael get a little bit of sleep).

But I need to mention the driving.  This photo was taken only after I let go of the death grip on my seat.

We'll just say Michael tipped him a little extra for getting us to the hotel in one piece.  It seems like traffic laws (like one-way streets, no U-turns, and pedestrians having the right of way) are more of a suggestion in Istanbul.

DAY 1: Sultanahmet (Old City)
First we went to Topkapi Palace.  We would have to share like 20 photos to just scratch the surface of the beautiful grounds, the architecture, the Imperial treasures, and the tiles.  Here's just one beautiful ceiling... and each ceiling was different in every room (NOTE: the little notch in the ceiling points to Mecca).

It was a beautiful morning so we sat on the patio drinking Turkish coffee over-looking the Bosphorus (Europe on the left side, Asia on the right side).

And this little guy came to say hello.

Cats. Are. Everywhere!  (And dogs too... but there are A LOT of cats all over the city!)

After we said goodbye to our feline friend, we walked out the gates of Topkapi and down the street to the Blue Mosque.

Honestly cannot capture the impressiveness of the Blue Mosque with our little camera.  Gorgeous.

Then we headed off to The Basilica Cisterns under the city.  Wow.  This is the reason the Old City cannot  have an underground subway system... there is literally history under your feet!

Afterwards, we had a delicious lunch and Michael discovered his favorite kabab: yoğurtlu iskerden kebap.  The yogurt here... oh my goodness... so delicious.

Last but not least, now to my favorite place of the day: Hagia Sophia.  Again, pictures cannot do it justice.  It's huge and filled with mosaics, paintings, and more architectural detail than you can imagine... AND it was complete in the 6th century!  Crazy.

We will be back on Thursday for our Turkish baths at Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı.  Michael is really looking forward to this... I'm not sure what to expect (or how naked I'm going to have to get) so I'm a little anxious.  I'm sure it will be awesome.  They just restored the entire place and the architecture is supposed to be gorgeous (did I mention Michael's super excited to check it out?).

DAY 2: Food Tour
Julide has been our tour guide since we've gotten here and has been an ENORMOUS help.  Everyone we've talked to said that not knowing Turkish isn't an issue in Istanbul.  Michael and I have found it to be a little bit of an issue (especially when speaking to the waiters and making reservations) so Julide has been well worth it!

So she starts off our Foodie tour at Köşkeroğlu, which is known for its Katmer (ground pistachios sandwiched between one or two sheets of phyllo - like flat baklava!) and we also ordered Sucuk (walnuts on a string dipped in raisin paste) because it looked weird.  Both were good, but the Katmer was beyond delicious!  Perfect with Turkish tea, of course.

Then we went to the Spice Market and purchased (and sampled or smelled) Turkish delights, teas, spices and dried fruit.  I'm not even going to tell you how many Turkish Lira we spent on food... and then we purchased this beautiful hand-painted, double fired plate.

(Note: I think the highlight of Michael's trip to the Spice Market was actually seeing all the Audi's lined up for the filming of the new James Bond next door at the Yeni Cami (New Mosque)... and cringing at the dents in the cars too)

After spending too much money, we had a fantastic lunch at Hamdi overlooking EVERYTHING!

We enjoyed our lunch so much, we had to run to catch the Bosphorus cruise!  Good thing we made it a few minutes before it pulled out.  A gorgeous day to be on the water!

Julide pointed out all the historic buildings and the history of the development along the river.  So much HISTORY!  It was wonderful.

Last stop was Karaköy on the Asain side, where we strolled through the markets, split a big almond cookie and had tea before we headed back to the European side.

Here's the view of Maiden Tower in front of the Asian side from the ferry.  Awesome couple of days but we sure are tired.  Goodnight!