Honeymoon Day 4: Istanbul

Friday, May 8, 2009

10 am: Since we did not make it to Ayasofya on Thursday, this was our last chance! After breakfast at our hotel, we walked over to the Ayasofya. The basilica is a museum now, and not a place of worship. It is absolutely huge and it’s gorgeous. Gabby wanted to know why the basilica was so much grander than the palace.

11 am: After the Ayasofya, we headed to the Blue Mosque. The Mosque is currently used, and therefore there were some rules to follow: No shoes, no bare knees, no bare shoulders. We lined up and a guard gave us plastic bags for our shoes. After the guard deemed that Gabby’s shoulders were not entirely covered, he have her a shawl to wear into the mosque. Gabby was shocked, as she specifically dressed in what she though was modest clothing. It was interesting to see the mosque, as neither of us had ever been to one. The men and the women pray separately in the mosque. The men go to the middle of the room, and the women must stay on the sides.

Noon: Headed back to Beyoglu district. Tom was unprepared for the cold and did not bring enough long socks, so we had to go to the Nike store to buy some dri-fit.

1-2 pm: Proceeded to walk through the neighborhoods of Galata and Beyoglu. Walked across the Bosporous along the Galata Bridge. Ended up at a Kebab place in Sirkeci.

3-5 pm: Decided to head back to the Bazaars. Went to the Spice Market again. Then went back to the Grand Bazaar to shop.

5 pm: Headed back to the hotel to rest.

8 pm: Dinner at Amedros. Our waiter informed us that the cats begging for food all lived on that street and had names. He also told us that it is common for restaurant and store owners to put collars on stray neighborhood cats and dogs, so that animal control does not take them.

11 pm: We decided to get ice cream at Mado. Mado is an ice cream chain it Turkey that specializes in ice cream thickened with salep, a powder milled from wild orchid bulbs grown in the Anatolian mountains. It gives the ice cream, made without cream or eggs, its elastic texture. Mado has exotic flavors including sour cherry and mulberry, but Gabby settled on caramel and Tom settled on chocolate.

11:30: Exhausted, yet again, we headed back to the hotel to go to sleep.