Istanbul

Have I mentioned that Istanbul was amazing? 

I probably have, but I'm going to say it again to make a point of how amazing it was. 

ISTANBUL.WAS.AMAZING.

Okay...I can move on now... 

We were only in Istanbul for a little over a day, but we managed to get in almost ALL of the major sights, plus stay in the most beautiful hotel. 

Our hotel was the Pera Palace, and back in the day it was the last stop on the Orient Express.  This brought in a huge amount of celebrities and other amazing people.  It was also the first building in Istanbul to have electricity, the first building with running hot water in the bathrooms and it also had the first electric elevator (the first in Istanbul, the second in the world to the Eiffel Tower). 

The Pera Palace has stood through World War I, the Occupation of Istanbul, the Turkish War of Independence, the Founding of the Turkish Republic & World War II.  

It was a sight to be seen in and of itself. 

Oh, and the most famous people who slept in the rooms were Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo, Agatha Christie, King Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth II, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sarah Bernhardt, Alfred Hitchcock and many, many more.  

The sights we saw were also amazing.

We visited the Blue Mosque, which was completed in 1616, and has a colorful 260 windows to bring in the sunlight, and has blue Iznik tiles covering the walls. 

Second was St. Sophia, the Church of the Divine Wisdom and it was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian (AD 537) and remained the greatedst church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.  Sultan Mehmet II ordered the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque.   All of the domes were covered in gold mosaics, which many are still there today. 

Topkapi Palace, which was the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries.  They had jewels and cloths belonging to the sultan's on display, which were unbelievable.  This is also the place where they have been reading the Koran for over 500 years without stopping.  As soon as one man's done, another takes over. 

The Underground Cistern is about 210 feet wide and 420 feet long, with a capacity of 80,00 meters of water.  They were able to salvage the beautiful columns that support the cistern, and two of the columns are carved with the head and hair of Medusa.  :)

And finally, we visited the Grand Bazaar!  Plenty of shopping was done here.