Our Last Day in Istanbul

Sadly, today was our last full day in Istanbul.  So we tried to plan in careful to make sure we did not miss anything important.

View from the roof terrace of our hotel

We finally visited the Little Hagia Sophia--a small mosque, that was a Byzantine church, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, completed shortly before Hagia Sophia was built.  Some theories exist that this building influenced the design of Hagia Sophia.

The Apse of the Little Hagia Sophia

The Little Hagia Sophia is very close to the water--the Sea of Marmara.  So to reach our next destination, Valens Aquaduct, we had to scamper up a steep hill.  Curiously, the neighborhood we walked through was full of shops supplying fabric and accesories for making shoes and bags.  We also got to walk through an area teeming with students of Istanbul University--an interesting crowd.  The Valens Aquaduct, impressively large with cars running under it, was built by the Romans in the late 4th century. 

Valens Aquaduct

Next, our attempt to visit the Suleyman Mosque was not particularly successful.  Even though the mosque was supposed to reopen in August, it is still closed for restoration.  Moreover, the tombs of Suleyman and his wife, Roxelana, were also closed. 

Slightly disappointed we headed back to the Galata Bridge, where we enjoyed watching the ships and crowds go by while eating some "balik ekmek", fish sandwichs, for lunch.

Eminonu, area near the Galata Bridge

Preparing balik ekmek

Our next adventure was to cruise the Bosphorus.  The boat we went on sailed under the Bosphorus Bridge and up to the second bridge along the straight.  Along the way we saw many enormous cargo ships heading towards the Black Sea.  With Turkish techno music blasting through the speakers, we sailed by Rumeli Fortress, used by the Ottomans to control Bosphorus. 

Cruising under the Bosphorus Bridge

After the cruise we did a bit more shopping at the Grand Bazaar and enjoyed our last cups of chai and apple tea.  In the end, we never did set foot in Asia, unless being on a boat that is docked in Asia counts. 

Nick next to a singular column in the Underground Cistern

We were on our way to dinner when we realized that the Underground Cistern was still open--so we decided to go in again, and the second visit was well worth it.  We had the place pretty much to ourselves--a lovely end our adventures.

We will have to return to Istanbul, at least for the following reasons:

• To eat more fish sandwichs, kofti and fried anchovies
• To go inside Suleyman Mosque when it reopens after restoration
• To visit Hagia Sophia again (which unfortunately was closed today)
• Just because Istanbul is a beatiful city... The list can go on and on.