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All set for the 13-hour flight to Istanbul.
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For our first local meal, we headed to the restaurant about 10 steps from our apartment. Evya immediately started making friends. Our waiter introduced himself by kissing her hand. He later picked her up and took her to the kitchen to meet his mother.
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First night family picture.
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Setting out the next morning, we saw a familiar Lego face on our trek to the tram.
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Tram ride to Old Town.
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The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque.
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Naboo déjà vu
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Strolling between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
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Our jet lag had us enjoying the early morning in Old Town, eating breakfast from a street vendor and soaking up the atmosphere.
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Basilica Cistern, built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, is the largest of hundreds of ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul.
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Lunchtime! We'd only had two meals in Istanbul, but we were becoming accustomed to the tea delivered at the end of every meal. Apple tea for the kids.
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Refueled and ready to attack the Grand Bazaar! Allyndreth chose not to purchase anything, Evya got a bargain on a T-shirt just by batting her eyelashes and Tyrian got "student rates," according to the chessboard salesman.
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The tram station book bench.
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A respite at Taksim Square.
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Dinners are served late in Istanbul, so we were always heading home way after our American bedtime.
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The morning of Day 2 we were ready to tackle the splendor of Hagia Sophia.
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Hagia Sophia was built as a church during the reign of Justinian I and then converted to a mosque when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople. Now a museum, it displays symbols of Christianity and Islam side by side.
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Different marble was brought in from all over the Roman Empire.
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The famous dome is 56 meters high and 31 meters across.
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Cats were EVERYWHERE in Istanbul, but we didn't expect to find one INSIDE Hagia Sophia.
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This cat knows nice digs when he finds them.
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Up the tunnel to the second floor.
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Some bits and pieces of recent excavations outside the church/mosque.
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Hanging out where the Hippodrome of Constantinople once was.
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Street corn-on-the-cob.
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Day 3 - Time to tour the Bosphorus and see the Asian side of Istanbul. We were staying on the European side.
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We made a stop at Kucusku Pavilion, a hunting lodge for the sultans.
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Back on the boat, Evya made a Turkish friend who wanted to test her English skills out with a native speaker.
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An evening with the Whirling Dervishes.
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Phone booths with whimsy, appreciated by the dolphin lovers in our family.
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Day 4 - Topkapi Palace, a primary residence of the Ottoman sultans.
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Those sultans knew how to appreciate a view.
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This is where the Sultan would break his Ramadan fast.
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Couldn't get enough of the view.
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One of hundreds of exquisite windows.
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In the haram wing of the palace, Evya learned what a haram was. She, Allyndreth and Christina agreed that the menfolk definitely got the more beautiful, airy and spacious parts of the palace. At least the ladies got some of the spectacular tilework.
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Waiting for the tram, with a quintessential Istanbul backdrop.
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