Istanbul - Tuesday, Day 2

What a day it has been! I feel like I am in a very exotic place. I don't know why I feel that way, but it feels very new and different to me. Maybe it has something to do with the way in which I woke up..

6 am: Someone was yelling outside my hotel room....loud enough to wake me up! Wait... no, not yelling... singing? No, not exactly singing.... what is that racket?? As I heard 5 times that day.... the mosques broadcast the daily prayers~through a loudspeaker! Each mosque broadcasts their service...and there are usually several within earshot!

9:30 Breakfast in the hotel~ love the cheese here! Delicious! Strong coffee, some fruit, bread and cheese. Off to a great start to the day.

I decided to wander around today. I was maybe going to hit a few sites along the way, but today was just a casual day to wander around and get my bearings (I brought the pedometer along with me- just wait until you hear the grand total mileage for my casual day strolling around!). I started by walking to the Galata pier just outside our hotel. Once I could see the bridge, it seemed like a great idea to walk across and check out the other side.

Since I was already on the other side... I thought I would wander up to the Galata Tower and take in a view of Istanbul from up high. The view was amazing. I was really taken by all the domes that cover the skyline. Of course there are the famous mosques (Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya), but there are about 8 other ones you can see from the Galata Tower scattered around the city skyline. They are very beautiful... and very different architecturally from what I am used to seeing. It was very awesome... as in awe-inspiring :)

Then I walked back over the bridge and through the spice/Egyptian bazaar. My impression: colorful. I have never seen such colorful spices. Beautiful. From there I continued over to the Topkapi Palace and the Archeological Museum Complex. I went to all three of the archeological museums. My favorite things were the Alexander Sarcophagus from 4 BC (so named because it depicts images of Alexander), discus man (ironically on loan from the British Museum), and the tiles of the Tiled Pavilion.

When I was finished with all of this, I felt like I had really seen a lot and I had spent a full day out exploring. Imagine my disbelief when I saw a clock and it was only 3:30! Well, regardless of the time... my feet needed a break! I decided to head back to the hotel and have some down time before going out for dinner. Guess I wasn't done yet.... because on my way back to the hotel I took the scenic route through the Topkapi Palace Gardens and fell in love with this fantastic fountain sculpture.

4:15 back to the hotel, wrote yesterday's blog, put on a warmer sweater and headed off to dinner.

5:30-6:30 dinner at a little fish place under the Galata Bridge. Fried Mackerel ~ a local specialty. At the end of the day, I decided to treat myself to some baklavah! So, I went into a little shop where this adorable man put together a baklavah for one. I just asked for whatever is best! I know I earned it... ready for the pedometer total of the day..... 7.8 miles!