Out of all the cities we visited on the Turkey trip, we spent the most time in Instanbul. We flew into the city at night and saw the city all lit up. Even during the off season, this square was full of people. Some people say Istanbul is a city that never sleeps.
Istanbul has lots of mosques. One of the most famous ones is known as the Blue Mosque because of the color of the interior tile work. There was some controversy when it was built. The design had 6 minarets, the same number as the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The solution: add a minaret to the Meccan mosque. Makes perfect sense.
One of the most dramatic places we went was the Basilica Cistern. This cistern has 336 columns and can hold 2,800,000 cubic feet of water. The massive room is really dark and creepy music plays softly over the speakers.
The Grand Bazaar lived up to its name. Hundred of shops line the halls and stalls sell everything from spices to carpets.
My favorite place in Istanbul was Hagia Sophia. This 6th century Byzantine church had the largest dome in the world for 1000 years. The Ottomans turned the church into a mosque, (thus the round panels with Arabic script), until it became a museum in 1935. I liked Hagia Sophia so much that I decided to include a picture of myself.
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