Exploring Istanbul

 DAY 2

Exploring Istanbul

Sunday, April 26, 2026

“We'll explore Istanbul's more recent past and present today, beginning with the Istanbul's opulent Topkapı Palace. Next, we're off to the New District's pedestrian-friendly Istiklal Street with its Art Nouveau facades, restaurants, and trendy boutiques and free time for lunch on your own. Finish up with a scenic cruise of the Bosphorus strait and its panorama of grand palaces, colorful neighborhoods, and bustling waterfront activity.”


As an add on at the end of the day, myself and 3 other tour members hopped on a crowded city bus and took it out of the main city to go see a surviving example of Byzantine mosaics in a place called Kariye Camii.  It was originally a church called St savior in Chora, (originally built in the early 4th century, extensively remodeled with the mosaics in 1315-1321) but today it functions as a mosque-museum.  The mosaics tell the stories of Mary and Jesus, as believed by the Byzantines. 


Topkapi Palace.  The next several pictures were from the palace Harem, which was probably the most interesting part of the palace.   


Above is the prayer nook and below was an example of the beautiful tiles that were in the living area. 

The vase is a Ming dynasty vase, and behind it is the sultans throne in the family area of the harem.   What we traditionally thought of as a harem is not what this was like.  The queen mother picked and directed the women.  They were all from prominent families and it was considered an honor to serve in the harem.  The sultans mother also picked who would be his 12 favorites.  The harem included all the children of the women also.   Below is the long couch where the queen mother and the favorites sat along with their children.   




This church was at the entrance of the palace but predated it and also predated Hagia Sophia, roughly 330AD.  Like most churches, it was converted to a mosque. Below is the palace gardens, open to the public. 
The next nine pictures are from our boat ride down the Bosphorus River, which flows between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara (I thought I looked like our brotherTom here )








And finally, below are pictures of the ceramic tiles from the Chora church (Kariye Camii) -turned Mosque 





Goodbye Istanbul!!!! 






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