Istinye is a lovely neigbourhood a short walk down the hill from Sarah & Steve’s. A short walk, but we still thanked Steve for giving us a lift to the ferry terminal.

Ferry terminal is a bit of a grand title for what amounts to little more than a water front cafe where you wait for the ferry.

Since Steve gave us a lift we had time for a tea before taking the ferry to Kabatas and then a tram ride to the Hippodrome. Tour Guide B, Mike, was equal to the task having memorised most of the facts Steve had quoted when they had visited todays sights in February – when there were no queues!

The Aya Sofya was our first stop. We had timed our trip to be there just as it opened at 9am. Consequently we were able to almost walk straight in. By the time we left, several hours later, the queue went as far as we could see.

The Aya Sofya or Agia Sophia or Hagia Sophia was, for a considerable period of time, the largest church in the world. It was eventually converted into a mosque, hence the minarets, and today is simply a museum.

Fabulous architecture made more interesting by the history. Christian mosaics are now being revealed below the plaster and paint from the Ottoman era. Christian icons which were not covered had any faces or crosses removed. So lots of the marble friezes depict figures from the bible but with their faces chiseled out.

Next stop the Blue Mosque or more correctly Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It is called the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles on the inside walls.

Just a short walk from the Aya Sofya and no entry fee. This is a ‘working mosque’ so we had to remove our shoes and ladies who were not adequately covered were given shawls or skirts to wear.

Next stop the Grand Bazaar followed by the Spice Bazaar.

This area was once the heart of Constantinople and adjacent to the Blue Mosque is the Hippodrome, the chariot racing circuit. We stopped for morning tea before taking in the rest of the sights.

One last ferry ride took us across the Bosphorus into Asia long enough to hop onto another ferry and head back. This got us closer to home but was really just to enjoy a sea breeze and fabulous views