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Wednesday
Apr252012

Istanbul walking tour: {traveling with kids in Europe and Asia}

our 2nd day in Istanbul, we spent on a private tour of the major sites. The morning was spent exploring the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Hippodrome area, while the afternoon was mostly in Topkapi Palace and then on to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. We'd seen a couple of these the day before, but it's always more interesting with a guide telling you the cool stuff you'd never know on your own! ;)

The inside of Hagia Sophia was amazing. A mesh of the Christian and Muslim influences abound.
The light pours in and you can't help but stand in awe of such an amazing masterpiece that's been inspiring it's inhabitants for over 1500 years!
I've always been a sucker for mosaics and boy did I geek out here. When you visit any place with a Byzantine history, you're guarenteed to find amazing mosaics. It's such an incredible art form. The one photo above where the pieces are missing clear up to their faces has somewhat of a sad story. They were all covered in the Muslim period, and in the 20's when Turkey became a republic, they opened Hagis Sophia as a museum and unearthed the mosaics that had been hidden for 500 years. That particular mosaic was intact, but the early curators would give break off a piece to give to vistitors for a small fee. So it lasted for 1400 years only to be dismembersd for a few cents!? So sad!
However, there were several more (out of arms reach!?) that we can still enjoy today.
Next up was Topkapi Palace. Construction began in the 1400's and it's very opulent and filled with gorgeous tile and eastern Ottoman beauty.
we spent some time in the Harrem, which was romanticized by western poets in the 1800's. Yes, the sultan had a few wives, but the Harrem was explained as more of a boarding school for future wives than what we assume when we hear the word. (i'll keep this post G-rated) ;)   It's true though, that girls as young as 6-7 would be brought here to be trained to be future child-bearers. If they had a child, they were set. If they had a son, it was like winning the lottery! The crafstmanship was truly amazing here.. oh the photos ops I had!!
A few pics in the spice market to close our full day! We all discovered our favorite Turkish delight flavor and called it a day. Check back tomorrow for more fun on the Golden Horn!

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