Our first day in Istanbul, Turkey was a full tour day. There were long lines everywhere we went.

We visited the Topkapi Imperial Palace, Hagia Sophia Church Museum, The Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.

We had a Turkish lunch together before going to the Blue Mosque. This was a very tiring day and the stop for lunch was refreshing.

Topkapi Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace was changed into a museum. There was no sense of what the palace might have been like be there. There was an immense display of royal jewelry. The extensive grounds were impressive.

Sophia Museum

The Sophia Church Museum is no longer used for religious services. The original Christian church goes back to 3rd century. It was destroyed and restored a number of times. It is filled with man, many mosaic paintings.

 The Blue Mosque

We had to wait in long lines to get into the Blue Mosque. There were services in the morning that excluded visitors so all the tourists seemed to show up at the same time. The women had to cover their heads so there were many vendors selling scarves although the mosque provided Milly with a head covering scarf.

The Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar was truly an immense collection of covered “streets” of shops that seemed to fan out in all direction. There seem to be everything imaginable for sale.

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