We saw all the tourist sights in Istanbul in two (long) days.  This was intentional; we learned in Rome that you just have to see all the amazing tourist stuff but if you let it, it will fill up your entire vacation and you’ll be sick and tired of the crowds and the prices and the people selling you everything from food to tours to clothes to knick-knacks by the time you leave.

Speaking of people selling you things...here are plates at the Grand Bazaar, a few blocks from our hotel. For the most part stall owners were polite, but if they got pushy we just started speaking to them in Georgian, confusing them enough to allow us to escape.

So, we packed it in.  And it was ah-maz-ing.  We wandered around on our own our first day – we didn’t sleep the night before since flights out of Tbilisi are always around 4:00 a.m. and the airport is always uncomfortable – and on the second, took a tour.  Again, we never considered ourselves “tour” people but after paying to take a tour at the Vatican we learned to appreciate them.  Plus, when everyone around you is a tourist, there’s no shame in being on a tour.

And for us, it was worth it.  In one day we saw the Topaki Palace (the Sultan’s Palace for half a century, including the famous Harem), the Hippodrome (the horse track from Byzantine times, complete with a few really old monuments), the Hagia Sophia (which is actually pronounced “eye-a sofia”), the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern (a huge underground room that held water for the city during the Byzantine Empire).  All that, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Whew.

Between the two of us we took more than 500 pictures – we’re picture people and so much of what we saw really was that breathtaking – so my task of selecting a few before Sean wakes up and we start our day is a challenging one.  So just take my word on it:  pictures can’t do this place justice.  It’s gorgeous.

One of the rooms where the Sultan's Imperial Council met in the Topkapi Palace (the Sultan's residence and seat of government). From the sounds of things, this group didn't have much power - the gold window pictured was for the Sultan to listen in on the discussions, and if he didn't like the decisions he'd knock to show his displeasure.

One of the sultan's private rooms. Everything - even the carpet! - is original. His room was connected to the Queen Mother's rooms, who apparently held lots of power since many sultans took the throne very young.

One of the three courtyards inside the Palace. The space is now a museum and, interestingly enough, claims to have religious relics from all three major religions. Sean and I can now claim to have seen John the Baptist's bones, the prophet's coat and Abraham's turban. (These relics were all taken from Egypt when the Ottomans captured it.)

Like in Rome, early Byzantine Emperors took monuments from Egypt, carved some Christian words on the base and called it good. This one sits in the middle of the Hippodrome next to the Blue Mosque, and is about 2/3 its original height.

Cheap street food for lunch. Yum!

The Hagia Sophia, rightly one of the Seven Wonders of the World (depending on your list). First an Orthodox Church, in the mid-1400s the Ottomans conquered the city and turned it into a mosque. It's currently a museum and many of the original Christian mosaics have been uncovered, resulting in an interesting mix of Christian and Islamic.

One of the said Christian mosaics of Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. When the church became a mosque, all the art was plastered over (not only because it was Christian art, but also because mosques aren't supposed to have any pictures that could be considered idols).

A benefit of our tour was the Saudi Arabian couple, who were able (along with our tour guide) to explain some Islamic traditions and history to us (about which I knew nothing). The signs hanging around the windows are the name of the prophet, his son-in-law and others important to Muslims. (From here we got into a discussion about the differences between Sunni and Shi'a, which I won't recount here but was very interesting.)

The gorgeous ceiling of the Blue Mosque. There are special services on Friday and because it's an active mosque, we had to wait a while to see it. Totally worth it.

After the Byzantine Empire fell, most of the underground water cisterns were destroyed and people got their water from fountains throughout the city. This one was forgotten and recently (as in the past 200 years) turned into a tourist site.

The newly-Christian city built the cisterns using columns from pagan temples, which is why they're all different.

See?  I told you we saw a lot.  And that doesn’t include all the food.  Oh, the food…that will have to wait for later.

I will say that we are both loving Istanbul – for me, it’s probably my favorite city I’ve ever visited.  A lady we spoke to yesterday said that most people aren’t sure what to expect when they come here so anything is good.  I don’t know if I believe that, but I do appreciate the diversity of people, the religious mix, the lengthy history, the deep blue water and the energy and vibe that comes with a city of 15 million.