We docked at Karaköy port in Istanbul just shortly after sunrise. Once again, our starboard balconies offered fabulous views over the bay to Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and more!
Today’s goal was to explore the new side of Istanbul and leave Sultanahmet for our return when we are staying in the heart of it. Our first stop was Galata Tower for an overview of the city.
It was a great way to identify all the areas and learn which mosque is which – or at least some of them. I lost count of the minarets after reaching 100!! It’s amazing. I never imagined they would dominate the skyline so much. While we were on the viewing platform, half a dozen huge helicopters flew by. It was both spooky and cool….! (SIDE NOTE: The following week when we flew out of Sabiha Gökçen Airport at approximately the same time as being up the Galata Tower, we saw helicopters fly by again. Something common at 10:30 am?)
We continued to climb up to the start of Istiklal Street and then wandered all the way up to Taksim Square. You would never know by looking at it that it was the site of all the movements that started in June!
We took a breather in the park and then began the return journey. We were going to take the tram for a change but couldn’t figure out where to take it from! The start was obvious at the other end but not so much from this end. But it was all downhill so we didn’t mind repeating it!
Once we got back down to the water level, we crossed Galata Bridge – dodging the fishing poles all the way! We crossed over the street and visited the New Mosque (only 600 years old or something!) It was our first mosque experience and even though people say it’s not the most spectacular mosque, it still took our breath away.
By this time, we were getting hungry and thirsty so we crossed back over the Galata Bridge and stumbled upon a WiFi bar and restaurant so stopped in for rehydration (Irish style)! We eventually decided to order some appetisers to help us get back to the ship! So good!
As usual, it was pool o’clock when we got back so we had a dip and a final ice cream before starting the packing process. Dinner was amazing – a lamb shank so tender you could eat it with a spoon! Just don’t mention it to Javi because in a fit of insanity he ordered the chicken…which as good as chicken is, it’s just chicken! We had a good laugh over it!
We had the traditional march of the baked Alaska – although none of us ordered it – and then the waiters sang a song for us in Indonesian to say good bye. Every single meal was a delight thanks to Sandy, Indra, and BeeJay!
All too soon, the cruise has ended! We’ll miss our carefree days! But on to the next adventure: Cappadocia!