In front of the fountain and Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Sultanahmet Mosque
Street by our hostel
Lots of fresh fruit!
Best room ever!
Before our boat tour of the Bosphorus
On the boat tour
With our new Spanish friends!
Under the Bosporus Bridge
On the "Asia" side of Turkey
Our cute little tour boat
Fishermen catching their fish
They made fish sandwiches on this boat that you could buy. The fish were freshly caught and the men on the boat made the fish and the sandwiches as it was severely rocking the entire time, and then would hand the customers the sandwiches on-shore!
Group shot before going out
Our group in front of the hostel
Sultanahmet at night
Last dinner together as a group
View from the rooftop restaurant of our hostel
In front of the Blue Mosque
On the street, walking to Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace gardens
Eating ice cream amongst the flowers
Getting ready to take a ferry to Buyukada, one of the Princes' Islands. We even bought matching hats before the trip!
Eating the most amazing corn ever at the ferry dock
TONS of jellyfish in the water!
We rented bikes and biked around the island
There were gorgeous houses and mansions all over the island!
On the way down to the beach
On the way back from Buyukada
Inside the Hagia Sophia the next day
The President of Estonia, Toomas Ilves, was visiting the same day we were!
Visiting the Cistern, an underground palace in Istanbul
One of the famous Medusa heads in the Cistern
Visiting a smaller mosque
Our last night all together in Istanbul
Our last day in Istanbul, Anna and I took a ferry to another one of the Princes' Islands, Heybeliada. It was a great day, and we mostly journaled and reflected on our time in Istanbul. Though we had only planned for our trip to be five days, it was extended to nine because of the volcano ash. We both had such a great experience, and we cannot wait to go back! (Because we both know it WILL happen!)
