Istanbul, Turkey (day 3)

Day 3 - January 9, 2023

Left the hotel after breakfast at around 8:30am. Only mission today was to pickup an Istanbul Welcome Card over in Galata, about a 40 minute walk each way. The card gives access to ferries that bring you to different locations around Istanbul. It also allows you to ride the public transit systems and allows entry to some of the sites with tours. After a bit of a hike, there are lots of hills, I made it to the location to pick up the card. Definitely was not the place people normally get the card. It was their main office, on the second floor of some random building, leaving me feeling a bit out of place. Not many people here speak English, making communication difficult. Eventually we got things sorted out and I started the trek back with the card. 

There were lots of things to see as I made my way back through the narrow streets. In the more touristy areas, there is always someone standing outside their shops trying to get you to buy something from them. They always say things like, "sir, you look hungry" (never heard that one before in my life). I've learned you just have to ignore them and keep walking. The best places to stop are usually the ones that don't have people outside trying to get you to buy from them. There are little stalls and shops on the ground level of most buildings in this area. 

Hagia Sophia yesterday evening. The evening light really brings out the orange stone nicely.

Here are some pictures from the morning walk through the streets:

Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia

Yeni Cami Mosque

Yeni Cami Mosque
Mosques are typically covered with mosaics on the interior. They differ from Christian churches built in Constantine's time as the Christian churches had much more artwork and images. The Muslims didn't want the decorations to distract them from their worship. 

Galata Bridge

Galata Bridge

Street in Galata

Tram station on the Galata Bridge

There are lots of stray cats and dogs throughout the city

Had to stop by the Egyptian Bazaar again :)

Made my way to Gülhane Park which was once the garden of the Topkapı Palace (built by the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror six years after the Ottomans had conquered Constantinople. Next to the park is a museum, Istanbul Archaeological Museum. There are lots of artifacts from areas in and around Turkey. Some things dating back to as early as the Bronze Age. 

Gülhane Park

Bronze helmet from Thessalonike, Greece (7th-6th centuries BC)

There a lot of stone statues and other stonework from the time of Constantine's rule

Found the top of the Serpent Column that is located where the Hippodrome once was (see yesterday's pictures)

These gold crowns are from the mid 3rd century BC. The craftsmanship that went into these is pretty amazing, especially considering how thin the leaves are.

The Sidamara Sarcophagus is one of the largest and heaviest from the ancient world. It is made of marble and weights more than 30 tons!

Ended the day eating at a restaurant a couple minutes from the hotel. Staff there was very friendly and spoke English very well. Tried out a rack of grilled lamb ribs, which was real good :)