We chose to get the touristy stuff out of the way first so we could spend the rest of our vacation exploring other parts of Istanbul.  Thanks to a friend of a friend (props to Sharon for a great introduction!) and a couple of non-traditional tours, we saw, experienced and tasted some really interesting parts of the city.

Here it's a water pipe, not a hookah...but don't worry, Mom! It's dried fruit, not flavored tobacco.

The Istanbul Modern Art Museum was probably one of our least favorite activities; we felt it was pretentious and not overly engaging. Here's a piece from a larger exhibit about politics and art...or something.

Off the packed Istiklal Street (lined with Gaps, Nike Stores, Burger Kings and other Western brands), we found the Flower Passage and the Fish Market, streets that are full of bars with outdoor seating and lots of people. And food. We decided to be brave and both enjoyed lamb stomach sandwiches. A little spicy for me, but really tasty (not to mention cheap)!

We strolled through a market on the Asian side (more on this later). Here are dried eggplant garlands at a spice shop.

These balloons are part of a shooting game - if you hit and pop a balloon, you win. It's been rather windy here so winning would be quite a feat. This was taken as we walked along the Marmara Sea.

Door leading into the mosque of Suleymon the Magnificent, the most famous Ottoman Sultan. There are gorgeous mosques everywhere here, but this one is right behind the Grand Bazaar and university, both near our hotel.

A small Turkish pizza place near the Spice Market came recommended as the best in the city. It was delicious.

Our new friends took us out for fresh fish and raki, a traditional Turkish liquor, and later for beer. His tattoo is his father, who passed away a few years ago.

Our Bosphorus ferry allowed Sean to take some cool shots of the seagulls and the skyline. The tower in the distance is the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese in the 1300s, one of the oldest in the world.

There’s more we’d like to share – and we will! – but today is, sadly, our last day in Istanbul.  So we’re off to walk along the water, hit up a Turkish Bath one more time (our third time this week…what can we say, it’s a surprisingly luxurious experience!) and eat, eat, eat before we head to the airport this evening.