Today is Eid and the start of the 4-day holiday so the day started slow. Things were very quiet and the streets were empty. We found a coffee shop that was open and had the whole place to ourselves. Had some coffee, a bite to eat and tried to plan the day. Talked to the concierge and decided to walk along the waterfront and enjoy the great views. The streets filled up with folks and stores were opened later in the day.
The City of Seven Hills
Istanbul is beautiful. The many hills and amazing views of the Bosphorus make it very scenic and the beautiful combination of Byzantine, Ottoman, and Islamic architecture definitely makes it interesting.
Turkish Flags
Visited Galata Tower in the Beyoglu neighborhood. The tower was built in 1348 and offers great views of the city. We stopped by a mosque on our walk along the waterfront as well. This mosque had many individual spots with spigots where one can sit and wash before prayers.
Brian on Galata Tower
Had a simit for lunch which is a sesame covered piece of bread that looked and tasted very much like a sesame bagel. Turkish food is big on breads and the food is heavily based in meats including kebabs. You didn't have to look too far to find a cart with a vendor grilling a type of meat ball for use in a sandwich on some fresh bread with lettuce tomatos and some peppers. Fish is a big here too because the city lines both sides of the Bosphorus which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.
City of Two Continents
Standing in Europe with the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia in the BackgroundSent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
