With the Bosphorus Strait behind us, looking east towards Asian Turkey
Sevillay showed us around and then gave us half an hour free time to explore further for ourselves. The queue for the Treasures Museum was long so we opted for the Sacred Relics Pavillion. A cooking pot said to have belonged to Abraham; the turban of Joseph; the sword of David; the cloak of the Prophet Mohammed; the footprint of Mohammed. An amazing array of items and artifacts.
Next stop Aya Sofia Museum, built in 537 as a Greek Orthodox Bascilica. It also served as a Roman Catholic Cathedral for a time before becoming a Mosque in 1453. Instead of destroying it they just covered up the religious images, including those painted inside the huge dome, tweaked the position of the altar so it faced Mecca and there you have it, a Mosque. It has been a Museum since 1931 and many of the original religious paintings have been restored.
The underground Basilica Cistern built in the 6th century was amazing. So far ahead of its time and still standing. We were all surprised at the size of the fish down there (those big turkeys as Bob called them).
Lunch was included in the tour - a nice restaurant with white table cloths. At first we were the only ones there but later another tour guide with a small group. Everywhere we went we ran into other Seabourn passengers, interestingly most were also taking private tours - could call Anne!
The Blue Mosque - Sultanahmet Cami - was next. It's great having a guide and skipping the queues (well almost all of them). Outside we saw the men and boys washing in the ablutions area beside the Mosque. Greg and Bob had been warned to wear long pants and Anne and I had scarves ready to cover our heads. We filed past a counter and anyone who was not sufficiently covered was given a blue cloth to wear.
We all had to remove our shoes and carried them in a plastic bag I had brought but there were bags there for those who needed them. Inside part of the Mosque was roped off as a service was taking place. It didn't seem right to be wandering around taking photos at this time but there were lots of men coming and going from the roped off area so it all seemed quite casual. We saw two little boys dressed in white sultan costumes with their father who seemed to be teaching them what to do. Our guide said the costumes indicated they were going to be circumcised.
We then walked around the Hippodrome, built originally for chariot races and then used for other sporting and social events. Particularly popular at weekends with families visiting the sites around it, enjoying with gardens and statues and ice cream sellers etc.
Anne needed an extra bag for all the goodies she had bought so as we walked through the backstreets and markets we checked out what was available. She found just what she needed in the Arasta Bazaar. By this time our tour was nearly over - six hours of walking. Bob suggested that we were close enough to walk back to our hotel but our guide insisted we go by bus. We found out later, while on another exploratory walk, that it took us longer to walk back to the bus then it would have to walk straight to our hotel.
Local resident at one of the cushion cover shops in the Arasta Bazaar
Back at the hotel it was time to put our feet up before dinner. Greg and I popped into a nearby grocery shop to pick up some supplies to take on the Gallipoli trip. Anne and I were happy with soup for dinner - enjoying the traditional lentil soup that is served at most places.