Friday, 5/6. The Port Terminal is very, very new. But it is a very long walk to get out of. The bus stations are underground and seemingly underwater. Above ground it’s a beautiful shopping mall.

We did the Included tour. We rode along the ancient city walls, stopping once for yes-we-were-there photos. Then we disembarked on the edge of the famous bazaar and had a very short walk through it. Our mosque visit was to the Rustem Pasha Mosque, famous for its gorgeous blue tile work. We ran into mulitple Viking groups doing the same tour.

Afterwards we boarded a boat filled with the other groups. We found a nice spot along the side, only to learn that the entire cruise favored the other side. The speaker system was incomprehensable from where we sat. Added to that, we didn’t actually cruise past the Hagia Sophia. In spite of these issues, it was an interesting cruise. We were dropped off at the cruise terminal when it was over. It was certainly an entertaining time, but there were so many missed oppurtunities.

We had the typical far-too-leasurely European lunch, then took a taxi back into the old city with the intention see the Hagia Sophia. Big mistake. It was Friday, their version of Sunday. Massive crowds. The taxi was in a parking lot of traffic. We got out with the intention of walking the rest of the way, but the sidewalks were also jammed. We finally quit the quest, both due the crowds and the fact my foot was aching and the pain was moving up my leg. So we didn’t see the Hagia Sophia. Big diasppointment. 

Our last dinner was fine, though for the first time I choose the always available Angus steak option. Nothing else appealed to me.