October 3, 2022 Monday - Istanbul

October 3, 2022 - Istanbul Old City

We just finished a 5.7 mile tour of the Old City. It met our objectives since we visited 9 years ago, but was disappointing in some regards. The Blue Mosque closed to all visitors effective last week. Our guide gave us a good chance to view it from outside and an adequate historical explanation. 

The last visit we were able to see all levels of Hagia Sophia. Being limited to just the primary worship area now denies the visitors the great satisfaction of seeing the art up close. Having the mosaics covered for religious reasons further degrades the

experience.

Topkapi Palace was the saving grace for content but the crowds made the visit tedious. The views of the city and the Bosporus contribute to magnificence of the location. The shear size of the palace confirms its opulence. 

We are so happy to have had our first visit 9 years ago be so comprehensive and rewarding compared to this visit. 

Next we toured the Grand Bazaar.  We enjoyed experiencing the enormity of it and were dismayed by the size of the crowd. At yesterday’s briefing our tour director advised that we would find the same goods in the more remote places we will visit at much lower prices. We kept our money in our pockets and walked back to our hotel early

Our objective tonight was to find an ice cream shop. It looked like there was a nice one just a 15 minute walk back toward the Old City. We decided to make the walk and have ice cream for dinner. Our hope was to have the walk offset the ice cream calories. 

When we set out rush hour was still in progress and that slowed our pace. Not far from the shop we passed what looked like a small graveyard behind a wall. We entered through the gate and were met by gentleman who explained that this was in fact a Muslim school founded 454 years ago. He showed us a classroom that is still in use. Then he led us into a courtyard surrounded by small rooms. Students had lived there. He encouraged us to walk around and take pictures. 

While doing that we were approached by a young man who started to tell us about the history of the school. He explained that the Koran was taught here. We talked about Islam and some of its beliefs. He sat down with us and had Turkish coffee brought to us while we talked. It was a teaching experience him and an interesting learning experience for us. After more than half an hour he presented us with a book that explains the Islamic teachings about sickness. We finished our coffee and he led us to the gate. This was a moving visit. 

We found the ice cream shop and we each ordered 2 dips in a bowl. This was consumed on the way back to our hotel. It smooth and delicious. 

Tomorrow we visit Gallipoli. The Aussies and New Zealanders are looking forward to it. We are anxious to learn all about it.