Trip to Turkey: Day 2 Istanbul was once Constantinople

We went to the Hippodrome (even though I have no idea what it was and am not sure I really saw it or what it was) which involved this awesome obelisk. I felt for a second like I was in Egypt because of the writing on it, even though I was not even close to the pyramids.

 

Then we went to the Blue Mosque which was beautiful.

With Elyse, Lauren, and Leslie in the blue mosque.

Outside the Mosque with Leslie and Ben.

Blue Mosque and ME!

Following which we went to the Topkapi Museum. The museum is a part of the "new" palace. We saw an 86 carrot diamond that was beautiful.

The palace.

In the Topkapi Museum there was the Harem building. I decided that I don't want to be a concubine--but if I was to be one I would be a beautiful one ;).

Fellow concubines? Lindsay, Lauren, and Kaitlyn.

Is being a concubine related to polygamy? Because Leslie and I both come through Thomas E. Ricks. I am from the 1st wife and she is from the 2nd wife. We always joke that I am from the loved wife and that she is from the pretty wife. Luckily Elyse consented to be the cross-eyed wife in many pictures. If only she were related to us and it was real.

Next we headed to the Basilica Cistern and it was beautiful. But we didn't appreciate it too much because it was 1:30 and we were starving. So we went to lunch and had a several course meal. We were so full.

Shopping time at the Grand Bazaar! Here is what wikipedia says about this place "The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning Covered Bazaar) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily." Yep, pretty legit.

Grand Bazaar with Lizzy and Leslie.

It was a lot nicer than Jerusalem. It was cleaner with bigger streets but more pricey. At times they seemed offended when we tried to barter. Oh well.

Then we took a boat ride and it was absolutely gorgeous. We were on the Bosphorus. Seriously I loved it!

Fellow boat riders.

On the boat with the Blue Mosque behind me.

Boy band pose!

Elyse, Kaitlyn, Leslie, Me, and Lauren!  Aren't these girls adorable?

Dinner was terrible. I won't even talk about the gross appetizers but the actual meal was a fish on a plate. Yes, the whole fish. It was staring at me. I covered its eyes. That didn't help at all. Probably my favorite part of the day was when we left the hotel that night and went into the city. We got the best Baklava in turkey. It was delicious. It was so fun to wander through turkey and see everyday life going on. It didn't feel as touristy which I loved! Wow, we do so much in a day!