Istanbul, no. Constantinople

When I arrived in Istanbul my sight and sound senses were overwhelmed!  I have never arrived to an airport with more people waiting in the arrivals area than the one in Istanbul. Whole families were there waiting to greet their friends and family members back home.  I also have never been asked so many times where I was going or being shouted at asking if I needed a taxi.  I was so tired from my flight and early morning start (0300) that I caved and got a taxi to the hostel.

The 30 min taxi ride took me past hovels and fancy palaces, what a mixture of wealth I saw.  Also I arrived on a Sunday so every park that we drove past was over flowing with families out enjoying the sunny weather, bbqing and playing in the park or just walking along the sea shore.

The view from the hostel

I arrived at the hostel and headed out for a quick exploration.  I was aware that the Turkish men are very forward and at times pushy, especially the ones trying to sell you this or that, and even more so to tourists.  I was not prepared however for the intensity at which I was harassed to buy this or that by every single person I walked by.  Talk about overwhelming. 

I made it to the Blue Mosque removed my shoes and went inside.  AMAZING! What a gorgeous building.  It is truly overwhelming to see all the mosaic tiles and the sheer size of the building.  There were also some Muslim people praying when I was there. It was very interesting to see their dedication to their religion.

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue mosque

The impressive mosaic tiles on the ceiling of the Blue Mosque

Men and Women can't pray together in the Mosque.

I did the typical tourist attraction the hop-on hop-off bus tour around the city, and despite the rain and freezing cold it was great to see.  I was however quite sick and didn't have the energy to tackle the city full on so this bus tour was perfect for me. 

The Grand Bazaar turned out to be more harassment, but also an unreal place to see. The size of the place is unreal and oh so easy to get lost in, I managed to get out though!

The Grand Bazaar

On my last day I went to the Basillica Cistern an old cistern that once held all the city of Istanbul's water, which traveled there via an impressive aqueduct system.  I was really interesting and lit well, kinda spooky too.  Next I went to the Haya Sophia, another impressive mosque, which is double the size (if not double; close) of the blue mosque.  It is quite well preserved but is no longer an active mosque but a museum. 

Inside the cistern

Massive support posts

Grandeur of the Haya Sofia

Look how small the people are from up here.

View of the Blue Mosque from the Haya Sofia

 I think my favorite part of Istanbul though was the call to prayer several times a day.  Each mosque projects the call to prayer over loud speakers to alert the surrounding areas that it is time to pray.  Despite my lack of understanding of what was being said it was still really cool to hear.