Day 1
Hiking from the Galata Area
across the Fishing Bridge (Galata Bridge)
to the Tour Boat Docks on the Golden Horn River

Above: Bucket List, Check! This is the Ayasofya or Hagia Sofia, I had wanted to visit it for a long time as it was once the largest open area building and largest dome known to mankind when it was created, it was an engineering marvel in its time. Its history is tumultuous, having survived wars, fires, repairs, and multiple occupations.

This image was taken from the Galata Tower, looking SSE across the Golden Horn with the Marmara Sea on the horizon.

Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". Source, Parsing Wikipedia.

Above: So walking down a road, still in the Galata area, we came across an access door just waiting for Indiana Jones or Benjamin Franklin Gates.

Above Left: Aya Sofia-Ayasofya-Hagia Sofia.

Above Right: Süleymaniye Mosque.

Above Left: I only know it as Eminönü Mosque and it could be Faith Mosque.

Above Right: Fishing Bridge lives up to its name. We made the tourist mistake of walking along the bottom half of the bridge which is restaurant row and it has persistent salesman after persistent salesman pitching their restaurant. After that incident we only walked across the top of the bridge (about 8 more times).

Above: A longer view of Fisherman Bridge (also, Galata Bridge).

Photo Quality is suffering because of the super humid air and hazy sky all do the Mediterranean Hurricane that, while it passed Greece 3 days earlier (with us in it), it passed through Istanbul (here) just 1 day ago.

Above Left: Crossing Fisherman Bridge.

Above Right: We arrived at the Eminönü Plaza's tour boat docks.

Above: Haliç Bridge (Golden Horn Bridge), it is a Pedestrian and Metro/Train Bridge with Shops or Restaurants (up the Golden Horn river from us).

Taking a Boat Tour of the Bosphorus

Above Left: These tour boats are much like our boat.

Above Right: Stern view and Turkish Flag.

Above Left: Fisherman Bridge, we have to pass under it to reach the Bosphorus.

Above Right: Passing under Fisherman Bridge.

Above Left: Dolmabahçe Palace.

Above Right: Bosphorus Bridge.

Above Left: Cargo ship riding high in the water (nearly empty).

Above Right: Big and beautiful city sky line.

Above: Rumelihisarı, it's rather famous, built between 1451 and 1452 to block passage of Byzantine Empire ships into the emerging and growing Ottoman Empire territory. Sultan Mehmed II had a chain suspended between Rumelihisarı and Anadoluhisari (which was located on the opposite bank). Bosphorus Bridge in right-side background.

Rumelihisarı (also known as Rumelian Castle and Roumeli Hissar Castle) or Boğazkesen Castle (literally meaning "Strait-Cutter Castle") is a medieval fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey, on a series of hills on the European banks of the Bosphorus. The fortress also lends its name to the immediate neighborhood around it in the city's Sarıyer district.

Conceived and built between 1451 and 1452 on the orders of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, the complex was commissioned in preparation for a planned Ottoman siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople, with the goal of cutting off maritime military and logistical relief that could potentially come to the Byzantines' aid by way of the Bosphorus Strait, hence the fortress's alternative name, "Boğazkesen", i.e. "Strait-cutter" Castle. Its older sister structure, Anadoluhisari ("Anatolian Fortress"), sits on the opposite banks of the Bosporus, and the two fortresses worked in tandem during the final siege to throttle all naval traffic along the Bosphorus, thus helping the Ottomans achieve their goal of making the city of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul) their new imperial capital in 1453. Source: Wikipedia.

Above: Rumelihisarı.

Above: Plenty of seagull activity which implies plenty of food below, likely small fish. The boat was crossing to the other side of the Bosphorus to head back to it the Eminönü Plaza dock.

Above: Anadoluhisari.

Above: The old Anatolian Fortress (Anadoluhisari) which sits opposite of Rumelihisarı.

Above Left: A successful real estate project with a nice view of the Bosphorus.

Above Right: Kuleli Military School.

Above Left: Maidens Tower.

Above Right: Heading back into the Golden Horn, crossing under the Fishing Bridge.

Above Left: Looking back at the Fishing Bridge.

Above Right: We're back to the Eminönü Plaza Docs and that ship in the photo is our sister ship.

We Headed through the Spice Bazar, Unknowingly, to Arrive at the Ayasofya

Above Left: These shops are in a passageway underneath the highway.

Above Right: We, unwittingly, entered the Spice Bazar. We (I) are not using a street map, we just started hiking northwest (the direction that we need to travel for the Ayasofya). Terry says that she would never do this on her own, I've done this all my life.

Above Left: We're traveling along an interesting long stone structure.

Above Right: Aye, we came out on a main street and we seem to be on course, Terry can't believe it.

We reached the Grounds of the Ayasofya/Hagia Sofia of the Byzantine Empire

Above: That is the Ayasofya and we are about 400 meters away, it is huge.

Above: The Byzantine Empire evolved out of the Holy Roman Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire) and lasted from the 500s (after the Fall of the Roman Empire) until 1453. The Byzantines were here for a very long time and these grounds are full of stone building relics from administrative and religious buildings from that period of time. This City was originally named Byzantium and was changed to Constantinople and after the Ottoman Turks the city was renamed as Istanbul.

• Byzantium was founded by the Greeks in 700 BC (meaning unfound).
• Constantinople named by Constantine I in the fourth century.
• Istanbul, while Turkish derives from Greek 'tēn polin' meaning ‘into the city’ after 1453.

The Hagia Sophia and a Personal Guide

Above Left: Flying Buttresses on the Hagia Sophia, we were about to enter ...

Above Right: ... and then came Omar. Omar was a professional and licensed guide, he walked up to us and said the magic words of "No Waiting in Lines if you hire me." He was near our age and he had a lot of experience, we hired him. It turned out to be a very good decision on our part.

Above: Hagia Sophia is under repairs and renovations, the curators are recovering as much as they can from years of neglect.

Above Right: It kind of looks like there is an old covered figure reemerging (Jesus)?

Above Right: The construction superstructure gives scale to how immense the space is inside the Ayasofya.

Above Right: Lead is used to line column bottoms because it is a soft metal and it flexes to absorb land shifts and earthquakes.

Above Left: The right-side of the image's roof and wall has been reconditioned.

Above Left: Door.

Above Right: Baptismal.

We Exited Hagia Sophia and Were Walking Towards the Nearby 'Basilica Cistern'

Above Left: This is a Wudu or Ablution Station, where Muslims wash their feet before Prayers.

Above Right: That's the Blue Mosque, unfortunately it too is undergoing repairs. I was originally told that non-Muslims could not enter but on the following day we will find out that we may visit the inside of the Blue Mosque.

The Basilica Cistern, Byzantine Cistern, or Yerebatan Sarnıcı (Turkish – "Cistern Sinking Into Ground"),

Above Left: Dennis and Terry Struck in Istanbul's Basilica Cistern, 1 Oct 2018. It was also featured in James Bond's 1963 “From Russia With Love” as well as Dan Brown's 2016 "Inferno".

Above Right: The Byzantine Cistern, Basilica Cistern, or Yerebatan Sarnıcı.

About the Basilica Cistern: "The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul is just one of many cisterns which were constructed beneath Constantinople, or Istanbul as it is known today. What makes it unique is the fact that it’s the biggest cistern in the region.

The Basilica Cistern was originally constructed [in 352 AD/CE] during the reign of Justinian, a prominent Byzantine Emperor. Based on current records, the area which houses the cistern was first home to an imposing Basilica that included lush gardens and an impressive colonnade.

Records also suggest that an estimated 7,000 slaves were used to build the cistern which later replaced the original Basilica. In fact, one of the support pillars within the cistern which can still be viewed to this day is decorated with various images, including an image of an eye with tears. Historians believe the tears were included as a tribute to the many slaves that perished during the construction of the cistern.

Covering an area of 105,000 square feet, the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul was capable of holding around a quarter of a million square cubic feet of water, or 100,000 tons of water; a valuable resource at the time." Source: www.egypttoursplus.com

Above Left: This portal accesses the very ground that we have been walking, it is the equivalent of looking up at a Manhole Cover. Tomorrow, we will photograph a Bascilica Cistern Cover on the up side, they are rather commonly distributed in the walking area around Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya, and the Blue Mosque.

Above Right: More underground cistern area.

Above Left: This is how a typical Column looks.

Above Right: About the Crying Column - It is always wet and supposedly it is for the memory of all the slaves that died in the construction of the Cistern.

Above Left: The Crying Column.

Above Right: Terry is touching the Crying Column - The Cistern has been drained, it is not used now, and that is why the public can visit, touch things, and toss coins.

Above Left: About the 2 Medusa Columns (basically they may have been from an existing structure but the source information is lost).

Above Right: This is the photo cropped and sharpened English translation.

Above: Medusa Head #1 was turned upside down by Later Christians so that there would be no embracing of pagan beliefs. Medusa Head #2 was rotated for the same reason.

Our Tour of the Basica Cistern was Complete. It was late in the day, Museums were closing soon so we decided to perform some local exploration and then find our evening meal.

We Explored the Local Area,
The Ayasofya was between the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.

Above: The Ayasofya / Hagia Sofia / Hagia Sophia.

Above: The Ayasofya / Hagia Sofia / Hagia Sophia.

Above Left: Topkapi Palace.

Above Right: Blue Mosque.

Above: The side of a building is composed of inlaid shards of broken cups and plates, it is quite well-done art and an effective exterior finish.

Above Left: The up-view of Alayköşkü Cd (Short for Cadde, Street).

Above Right: The down-view of Alayköşkü Cadde (Street).

The Gulhane Sark Sofrasi Restaurant

Above Left: We saw these crockery-pots and we were curious about them as we had seen them on display a few times earlier today. We stopped to investigate.

Above Right: Water Art from broken crockery-pots was on display on the up-hill (north) end of the patio.

Above Left: We met this gentleman (cheerfully posing with Terry) who welcomed us to Turkey and Istanbul, he explained everything. These pots contain the uncooked contents of a stew. I ordered one pot for dinner.

Above Right: This is a picture of the Gulhane Sark Sofrasi Restaurant that I took upon departure. Our experience there was everything good about travel, nice people, a good service, a pleasant environment, and people with good hearts for everyone. We recommend this restaurant, it is located at:
Alemdar Mh., Alayköşkü Cd. No:22, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey.
I looked this information up on Google Street View just for this posting, Cd. is an abbreviation for Cadde (Street).

Above: The street view after seating, the evening was warm and minutes after we sat down more customers showed-up. The entire setup was about openness and comfort.

Above Left: We were served this appetizer with a pasta like tomato sauce and Turkish yogurt (like Greek) for a contrast. We were about 2/3rd's through our appetizer when it occurred to us to take a picture.

Above Right: Meanwhile, our proud host posed for a picture just before starting the crockpot bake.

Above: Part of the crockpot bake process.

Above Left: He was holding the neck of the crockpot and he just de-footed it (I was slow with the picture).

Above Right: A beautiful and tastey stew was served.

Above Left: Turkish Baklava, we both like the Turkish version because it has mashed pistachio nut mixed inside, very tasty.

Above Right: Turkish Coffee, heavy strong good taste and one doesn't need to drik the grounds. Later, I will learn to drink Turkish coffee from a glass (it's very stylish and Turkish).

Above Left: Dinner guests had arrived.

Above Right: A just before leaving photo, that's Terry watching me on the left side, and our hosts are standing in the doorway.

That Enjoyable Walk Home on a Pleasant Summer Night in Istanbul

Above: Shops along the old city wall.

Above Left: Confectioners.

Above Right: Colorful Lamps.

Above Left: People Traffic Intersection.

Above Right: Vehicle Traffic Intersection.

Above Left: The Bosphorus Bridge at night.

Above Right: The Fishing Bridge and Galata Tower on the right side hillside.

Above Left: The restaurants on the Fishing Bridge, we now will only walk on the up-side of the bridge.

Above Right: The cozy Arada Café that is two buildings away from our hotel, we will have plenty of meals there.