I had a rough time going to sleep last night. You would think after being awake for more than 20 hours, sleep would come easily. It didn’t. I laid in bed for several hours before finally dosing off. But, once asleep, I think I slept very well. I woke up around 7:30am. Cindy and I talked for a while then I went down for breakfast. Chase joined me for breakfast. Everyone here at the hotel is very accommodating and friendly. I enjoyed two cups of coffee, some cereal, and a few things that I’m not exactly sure how to explain. Afterwards I walked outside to a small bakery and picked up a few things for Cindy to eat.
We thought we would spend the day in Taksim, the central district of Istanbul where there are many historical buildings and sites. We made our way to the Metro and then to the Train. A quick trip and we were there – Alan, Chase, Cindy, and I. Keith was going to hang around the hotel area today so he didn’t join us…maybe tomorrow for the Grand Bazaar.
As we came off the train, the image of the SultanAhmet Mosque could be seen in front of us – quite impressive.
We made our way that direction but was sidetracked by FOOD. We enjoyed chicken sandwiches in the park before walking toward the mosque. All around us were tempting things to eat including this guy with his homemade candy!
After lunch, we continued our walk toward the mosque. Afternoon prayers had begun so we wouldn’t be allowed inside the main structure but we could visit the interior courtyard where I was able to take three pictures and, thanks to photoshop, merge them into a single image.
We had a while before prayers would be over and we would not be allowed inside the main building until that time, so we decided to walk a couple of blocks to the HagiaSophia, or the Eye of Sophia. This building was constructed in 532 AD and used as a church for more than 900 years. After Fatih Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 29 May 1453, it was converted into a mosque for more than 400 years. After 1935, it was converted into a museum. Hagia Sophia is known as one of the greatest buildings of the world and generally considered the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Here are a couple of pictures from inside the building. It’s very unique with both Islamic and Christian symbols inside.
In order to get to the upper level, you had to walk up a ramp that for several floors. It was made of stone and dimly lit which made for a cool picture.
After spending some time at the Eye of Sophia, we walked back to the Mosque to see if we could view the inside. Prayers had just finished and there was a huge crowd of people leaving. We waited and then entered through the visitors entrance. It was beautiful inside and there were many people still praying. We quietly made our way through the building and left.
We took a lot of pictures today. I’ll be going through them over the next few days and start posting some on Flickr. In the meantime, I know Cindy is posting some on her Facebook page!
