Magic Carpet Ride

Walt Disney himself had nothing on the Emperors and Sultans who built the bridges, mosques, palaces and cathedrals around here.  Indeed, we could have been in Disneyland (or Vegas) as we easily walked from one major attraction to the next. 

We began our tour of historic Istanbul by crossing the Galata Bridge where we stopped for a cup of fresh hand-squeezed juice for 1 Turkish Lira (70 US cents):

Here are some city views after we crossed the bridge looking back at where we live (you can see the Galata Tower in the skyline):

Our first historical destination was the Topkapi Palace which was the home of the Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years.

Our next stop was the Hagia Sophia Mosque which was built in 537.  The dome that you see in the picture is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture.  It is said to have "changed the history of architecture".  It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1,000 years and was a runner up for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

To complete our historical tour, we walked around the corner from the Hagia Sophia to the Blue Mosque which is named for the blue tiles that line the interior walls.

Before heading home, we stopped in a small restaurant for some dinner and a bathroom break.  To Kristina's surprise, this is what she found awaiting her instead of a plush, comfy toilet seat:

The highlight of our tour was an unplanned stop in a carpet shop where we met Huseyin and Memmet who are 10th generation carpet makers and sellers.  We were welcomed in like family, served tea, introduced to the dogs, and we witnessed silk on silk carpet with a knot count of 1,024 per square inch being hand-made in the store!