Our adventure continues--we began the day with an extensive tour of the Hagia Sofia. The age and scale of the building, which has seen many incarnations, was unreal. Afterwards we saw the ruins of the old Roman hippodrome, framed by gardens in a city that has more tulips than Holland.
Next, we trekked past the University to the great, imperial Suleman the Magnificent mosque on the hill. We toured the grounds but the mosque itself was closed for repairs. We doubled back through some winding streets and narrow alleys until we eventually came to the Grand Bazaar--the world's oldest and largest shopping center, which has more elements of a mall rather than a market but still a lot of fun.
In the evening, rather than wait for the elusive sunshine, we took a mass-transit ferry to Uskardar on the Asian side and had some amazing vistas of the fortresses and mosques and palaces at sun set. We passed Leander's Tower, the rock that marks mid-way in the straits of the Bosphorous and took a brisk walk before again boarding the ferry for the return trip, even more astounding in flood lights. Still more adventures await us today.
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