Days 8-9: Istanbul, Turkiye

Day 8 (May 6): Istanbul, Turkiye 

We had a full day today in Istanbul.

We walked from Galataport to the T1 tram line and got off in Sultanahmet.

We went to see the Blue Mosque before the lines got long.

We decided to skip Hagia Sophia, since there are lots of scaffolds inside and outside 

We also skipped visiting the Basilica Cistern, opting for the smaller, and free, Gulhane Park Cistern.

 Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived, but we had a nice stroll through Gulhane Park.

And played with the cats 

We then took the tram to Karikoy, so we could ride the ferry to Kadikoy on the Asian side. 

We wandered around for a while and split a pide for lunch. 

We then rode the trolley to Moda and back to the port 

From there, we caught a ferry to Besiktas, passing the Maiden's Tower

Once there, we tried some street food (roasted chestnuts and some dessert) then decided to go on a Bosphorus Cruise, which was a nice relaxing way to see the area.

We were seated so we could see the European side as we went up the Bosphorus 

And the Asian side as we return down the straight.

After the cruise, we went to catch the tram, which is when I realized that I confused Besiktas with Kabitas. 

So, we wandered around for a little while and stopped to eat some borek (we tried both cheese and potato, and both were delicious!!)

From there, we decided to get much needed massages.

We hopped on a bus heading toward the port (not really sure it went there) but before we got to Kabitas, traffic got really bad and the driver kicked everyone off in the middle of traffic.

As we walked to the Kabitas tram stop, we saw lots (100s) of police in riot gear, and then saw a big protest.

Since traffic was getting all backed up, we walked the rest of the way back to the ship.

Once we were back on the ship, we enjoyed the night view of the city before going to sleep.

Day 9 (May 7): Istanbul, Turkiye 

I woke up really sore this morning, so I went to the ship's thermal spa to soak in the hydrotherapy pool while Steve enjoy more of Istanbul on his own.

I suggested that he go to Galata Bridge and talk to fishermen and have a fish sandwich (balik durum).

The ship left Istanbul in early afternoon.

We topped off the night with dinner at the specialty steak house (we were not impressed).