Our Turkish Adventure - July 2015 Part 2

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Park 2 of our Turkish Adventure... 

July 24

We had a magnificant historical tour of the Hagia Sophia, hand down, the most impressive building in Istanbul! Once a church, then a mosque, now a museum, it's a must see destination when in Turkey! 

We also visited the amazing Topkapi Palace, Istanbul's largest palace that housed the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856). The palace is now a musuem and one of Turkey's most popular tourist attractions. It also became an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Also, we visited Basilica Cistern, the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. The Basilica was built in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire. These glorious artifics may ring a bell as the location was used to film the James Bond classic, From Russia With Love. 

After an awesome day of historical sightseeing, we enjoyed dinner and desert with Bosphorus in the background.

July 25

We took a Bosphorus cruise to the Black Sea...

... and hiked to the ancient Yoros Castle, a Byzantine ruined structure that sits at the confluence of the Bosphorus and Black Sea, with our amazing tour guide Zerrin. Byzantines, Genoese, and Ottomans fought over this strategic fortification for years. By the time of the Turkish Republic, the castle was no longer used. 

After our castle tour, we had a super delicious lunch at Yosun, a seafood restaurant. You could feel the real smell of the sea while eating fish.

After our delicious meal, we awlked through the streets of the sleepy fishing village Anadolu Kavağ. 

We then visited the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. As the part of our bargaining, I got an unexpected kiss on cheek; perhaps it was a selling technique (a rather odd one). 

We ended our busy day by visiting the Ağa Hamamı Turkish Bath, one of the oldest Hamam in Istanbul.