The Sites of Istanbul

Hotel Levni, Istanbul

We left the "Riviera" at 8-00am this morning (the 25th July) after an amazing 12 days, on the cruise from Venice to Istanbul, would do it again in a flash !!

We got to our hotel and checked in. We were upgraded to a better room and got immediate entry, which was great. After settling in we headed out for a day walking around Istanbul and experiencing the sites, sounds and smells.

After 9hrs, below is a small sample of the things that we saw and did...

Suleymaniye Mosque

Suleymaniye Mosque 2

Suleymaniye Mosque 3

Spice Markets 1

Spice Markets 2

Spice Markets 3

The Grand Bazaar

We did a little shopping

We did a little more shopping

Hagia Sophia

Inside the Hagia Sophia

Viking Graffiti at Hagia Sophia - for Michael

Bosporus Boat Trip

Bosporus Boat Trip 2

Day three in Istanbul. We took a boat trip for 2 and a half hours up the Bosporus Strait to the narrowest part. Great trip, got a good feel for a larger area of the city. The Sultans in past times built a number of Palaces along the river, that are very impressive. Went and had a look around one of there "Hunting Lodges".

Siltan Hunting Lodge on banks of Bosporus

Underground Cisterns

We then walked again for about three hours, from the river, through the spice markets and up to the Hagia underground cisterns. We then walked back to our hotel. Will go out for a bite to eat shortly, then pack for an early pickup tomorrow morning for our flight to Budapest.

City Park

Statue of Ataturk in City Park

Hotel Lobby