Today, we walked over 14 miles during our whirlwind tour of Istanbul. We started the day by walking the length of the cruise port to the terminal building. There are four large cruise ships parked here today and walking past all of them takes quite a while. Once out of the port area, we followed a Rick Steves walking tour of the Golden Horn across the Galata Bridge. Our first tourist stop was the Topkapi Palace, home of sultans. It was similar to the Alhambra in Granada, but bigger. Its harem alone housed over 100 concubines and their eunuch attendants. Next, we walked to the Hagia Sophia, a church built by a Byzantine emperor that became a mosque and then a museum. It is remarkable for its enormous dome and surprisingly preserved mosaics. After a quick lunch of Turkish meatballs, Valerie donned her makeshift headscarf and we walked to the Blue Mosque, so called because it is a mosque that is blue. I haven’t visited many mosques, but it reminded me a lot of many large European cathedrals, except with carpeting and less art.
Finally, we rode the funicular up to Istiklal street and walked its length. The street is lined with western shops, restaurants, and souvenir shops. We stopped for some Turkish desserts before heading to Taksim Square where we picked up a pita sandwich with lamb. Finally, we headed down another funicular and back to the ship so we can be well rested for our trip to Istanbul’s grand bazaar tomorrow.