Despite the less than Spring weather, my friend Katie and I were able to do lots of exploring during her visit a couple of weeks ago. Without it being a crazy week (she was here for 5 days), we were able to be the MOST productive tourists EVER. At least in my humble opinion :)
During those 5 days we visited Ortakoy, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, Eminönü,, Galata Bridge, Taksim, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cisterns, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the city walls, St. Chora Church, Aquaducts, Süleymaniye Mosque, Dolmabahçe, Taksim (again, via tram), Galata Tower, Bosphorus cruise to Anadolu Kavağı where we saw Yoros Castle.
Yes, most productive tourists. EVER. Well, except for perhaps someone like Rick Steve's who wrote the book on Istanbul.
Anyways, her trip gave me an opportunity to see lots of new things that I hadn't ventured out to in Istanbul and we became experts on the bus system. I personally love this because for 2 lira, I can just sit on the bus, ride into Taksim and not have to worry about the traffic, versus sitting in the cab watching the fare tick up. It has made me much more confident to get around Istanbul too.
Here are a few pictures of my new favorite spots we tried out on her trip:
Inside the St. Chora Church - the halls were covered with these beautiful mosaic tiles. Too bad it wasn't a sunny day to get some better pictures!
Close up of tiled ceiling in St. Chora Church
Süleymaniye Mosque built for Süleymaniye I by Mimar Sinan. We got a little lost getting there, but it was worth it.
Süleymaniye Mosque
View of the Bosphorus from the Galata Tower. It may be the best view in the city.
