Mosques, Stray Cats, and Palaces

Hi, it's Rachel again.
So because of the way the outlets are here, we are unable to charge any of the electronics we have including this computer. So that means I need to be concise.

Christian is basically a celebrity here. Everyone loves him and random people ask him what his name is and touch his hair and playfully grab his arm or tickle him. The guy at one store remembered him when we walked by a second time and even remembered that Christian had wanted to order rootbeer at his restaurant. This was funny because there isn't rootbeer here so the guy thought a five-year-old wanted beer. However the person who loves Christian most is the person working at the hotel. He gives Christian Turkish candy, and chocolate, and tickles him and always says hi whenever we walk in or out of the hotel. Today he even wanted to get a picture of himself with Christian.

Christian and our hotel clerk

First, a quick filler from yesterday.
We visited Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya (the name depends on which time period you are referring to). Built in 537, it was originally a Christian church, but then was converted into a mosque in 1453. Today it is a world heritage site and has both Christian and Muslim things in it. Walking into it, my the huge domed ceiling, detailed mosaics, and giant chandeliers took my breath away. Funny story real quick. I am walking around this word heritage site when I notice that there is a stray cat sitting in the roped off area. A security guard walks over and pets the cat, totally not bothered by the fact that this stray cat is sitting inside the place he is supposed to keep people out of.

Yesterday we also visited a Muslim mosque which was really fascinating. Sarah Ann, my mom and I bought head scarves beforehand to cover up our heads because that is custom for the Muslims. Also, we had to take off our shoes before going inside. The mosque was very, very beautiful.

Now for today. We did slightly better with jet lag because my mom set an alarm so I managed to get up at eight instead ten, but I still did accidentally wake up at three a.m. before going back to sleep. After eating a delicious Turkish breakfast at our hotel, we headed out to the Topkapi Palace. The palace used to belong to the Sultan of the Ottoman empire. Inside the palace, there was many rooms that were ornately decorated. Everything was gorgeous. We saw the weaponry and a throne room. We also saw the area for the wives and concubines of the Sultan.

one of the buildings in the Topkapi Palace

the fancy tile work in a room in the Harem in the palace

After eating lunch, we  went on a bus, boat and cable car tour. The boat went down the Bosphorus Strait which separates Asia and Europe. We are staying on the European side of Istanbul, but half the city is actually in Asia. We also got to see the newer part of Istanbul. That part is only 1200 years old as opposed to the old part which is 2000 years old. On the boat we also got a great view of a giant fortress and a ton of different palaces. I honestly lost track of how many palaces we passed, and all of them were breathtaking.

 

 me in front of the Rumeli fortress

 

my mom and Sarah Ann at the top of the cable car overlook

For dinner, we tried some more traditional Turkish food including falafel, grape leaves, bread and hummus (my favorite!) and some herbal apple tea (actually that isn't traditional, it is only really sold for the tourists). I loved all the new things I got to try, but Christian did not. When my mom told him to eat it, he said, "I tried it but it yucked."

It was such a fun and exciting day! I love Istanbul!