Yesterday was another sea day so not much to report and we had passed under the Canakkale bridge yesterday evening so I figured we would reach port overnight. I was still surprised when I opened our curtains in the morning and it felt we had landed in the middle of Istanbul. There was a mosque across from our deck and Galata Port was at our feet. I thought we would exit right onto it but it turns out there are ramps that take you down three stories to customs and you come out on the other side of the buildings you see here. The port consists of numerous shops and restaurants and was active into the night.
We had attempted to plan to see major sites in Istanbul but we soon discovered that Sunday is not a good day to explore the city. Major sites including the Grand Bazaar were closed. Despite the setback we still made a plan to transit to the Blue Mosque. Callie had done a great job this trip figuring out how to get around and she knew there was a train station near the port. We were lucky that the transit system had assigned someone to the ticket kiosk to push buttons since they didn't have an English option.
Our first destination was the Blue Mosque that I'm assuming gets its name from the bluish marble that covers the site. It's an active mosque so he had been warned about the times for the call to prayer which are based on the location of the sun so they shift over the course of the year. We were greeted by two cats and I had to wear pants, while the woman had to ensure their head, legs and shoulders were all covered. We also had to take our shoes off before entering. The interior was quite beautiful with a carpet covering the entire area. It's definitely a must see sight.
After the mosque, the family stopped off to try out some Turkish coffee. There is a fairly elaborate method to brew it including finely grinding the coffee to the consistency of talcum powder and repeatedly heating and drawing off the form until you have your cup of coffee. I don't drink coffee so I can't describe what it tasted like but Kerry and Carter weren't fans. Kerry described it as being too sweet for her taste. After the coffee we walked by the Higia Sophia however it remained under major renovations and Callie indicated it wasn't worth seeing since so much was inaccessible.
If it hadn't been Sunday our next destination would have been the Grand Bazaar but since it was closed we headed to the Spice Bazaar which was nearby. On our way we did pass many streets of shops outside the Grand Bazaar. I can't say if it compares but I think our experience of buying from of the shops probably was. We entered one shop and were immediately offered free drinks and a seat and then the merchant went into their elaborate game of convincing you to purchase first tea, then spices followed by chocolate. You don't just ask for 100g. You ask but you end up with a giant scoop. It was fun and we were eventually able to say no and make our way out.
Once we were done buying out spices that were packed like a block of cocaine that we hoped we could get out of the country we noticed we were only a few blocks from our ship so we decided to walk back. From where we were, you could see both Europe and Asia and the area was bustling with activity. I know we didn't do Istanbul justice but we still had a good experience and it was a nice way to cap off our cruise. I'm glad we decided to do this particular trip as it allowed us to see so many diverse locations. On to the next adventure.
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