September 2016

Istanbul - The classic sights

For us, it is all about classic sightseeing. From the part of town we stayed in, we took the tram from Tophane station which took us over the Galata Bridge to Sultanahmet station. And there they were, right in front of us, the two major sights of Istanbul - the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia! Amazing to look at even from the outside. As it was Friday we couldn't go into the Mosque before 1.30 PM due to prayer time. Even without the inside view, it was pretty amazing and we felt very special to be there. We walked all around these impressive buildings and then on to Topkapi Palace to soak in the atmosphere. Once we had a good look around we moved further and had a little Çaj tea break outside the Grand Bazaar, which is a great place to people watch. And the Grand Bazaar is a must-visit when in Istanbul. Perfect for shopping typical porcelain, leather goods, linen, and jewellery of any kind. We loved sightseeing in Istanbul, so much history!!