Istanbul 8th May 2007

The next day after the 5am prayer wake up call and breakfast on the hotel terrace which consisted of all things Jessica likes such as olives, cheese and bread we headed out to do the BIG tourist attractions of Istanbul. We started at the Museum of Haghia Sophia. The internal architecture was extraordinary with the use of marble and chert (Thanks Ben for the geology lesson!) and also many mosaics with gold tiles dating back to 500 AD. Lunch was a very nice doner kebab and then off to the Topkapi Palace and the Harem. Inside the palace was a mixture of architectural grandeur and museum pieces such as the hand bones and skull of John the Baptist no less, conquering Sultans swords and the biggest precious stone and jewel collection I have ever seen with an 80 carat diamond which I know Rosie would really want! It was all so great the photos don’t really do it justice.














European swords from around 1400 AD. The Goldern cage where future sultans were housed.



View of the Blue Mosque from Haghia Sophia. The chert and marble walls of the Haghia Sophia.

















Haghia Sophia

Breakfast and view from terrace