OffTheHoox.com

After a relaxing night in my hotel bed I decided to get up SOOO early to be the tourist that I declared I would be today. So I set my alarm for 8am and was outside by 9am. Shut up I’m on holiday!

I spoke to our “concierge” (a term I use loosely cos he was an idiot), asking him how I got to Topkapi Palace and Ayesofya etc and he said, “yes sir you can go outside, get the tram and be a tourist”. I can go outside, get the tram and be a tourist?? Hahaha. I didn’t even bother further. I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere.

I walked up half a block and walked into the Ramada Hotel and went directly to their concierge like I owned the place. He was very helpful with maps and everything. Off I was, outside, on the tram and being a tourist. I guess the first guy was right. That’s all I had to do.

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My first stop was the Blue Mosque. Exquisite. Amazingly enough I was also allowed to take photos inside. Such beauty. History says that way back when it was a church and then was converted into a mosque. Yeah I didn’t do too much homework this time around.

Stop 2 was Ayesofya or St. Sofia. Architecture dating back to the 3rd century. Simply amazing. Again I don’t know too much about it but it truly is beautiful and a wonderful tranquil way to spend an hour or so.

A quick 2 minute walk out of Ayesofya and I came across the Basilica Cistern which is so quiet and feels like a mystical place which you would only find in incredible fabled adventurous epics.

I am now sitting in an authentic non-tourist kebab shop (at least the sign that is in 13 different languages says it is) with free wireless internet and have just had lunch which was not bad! Just before my traditional kebab I spent about 30 minutes in a carpet shop watching some very talented old lady weaving a silk carpet that they now want to sell to me for a cheap $18,000. Too rich for my blood. I am just about to head down to Topkapi Palace.

Later people! This is Hoox signing off from Istanbul for Eye On The World!

~please follow all the links to Wikipedia for more information about the places I am visiting cos I’m too lazy to read about them myself. You can highlight the kewl stuff and summarise in a comment? Thanks!