The remaining of what we saw in Istanbul: Hagia Sophia Mosque, City Dogs and Cats and the BEST fish burrito anywhere!
The Hagia Sophia is a main attraction that was well worth seeing. It is a little worn and in the middle of several serious repairs. A lot of scaffolding stood in the way but we were able to see a lot of the beauty and history of this magnificent building. Here is a time line of the changes the Hagia Sophia has gone through……
Christian Church Cathedral (537-1054)........Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1054-1204).......Roman Catholic Cathedral (1204-126).......Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1261-1453).......Imperial Mosque (1453-1931).......now it is currently a museum. Bet
The one thing I will never get use to is seeing so many animals run free in the streets in a city. We have been to several countries now where the animals are not owned by any one person and are free to wander around. Istanbul Turkey was just like this, however the animals we saw were much healthier. There were more than a 3 dozen dogs right in the Hagia Sophia area. The dogs a relatively clean and very friendly. They have tags on their ears that have chips in them telling of their vaccinations. The city vaccinates their street dogs! I’m not sure how they get fed because we saw no trash around but they were all a healthy weight. The cats are much more numerous and some are pretty battered with obvious wounds. The majority however are well fed and clean for a street animal. At several places, we saw food and water that was set out for them. I had a great time by petting lots of animals every day! Beth
We had one of our best dining experiences while walking along the Bosphorus River. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had just climbed to the top of the Galata tower. We were wandering around and ran into an fish market with fish so fresh that they were still swimming in buckets near the scales. The river was only a few yards away. As we walked toward the park we saw several men with these small handmade cook stations selling grilled fish burritos. It was very educational watching them de-spine the fish and transform it into one of the best burritos we have ever had. Sitting in the park on a curb near the Bosphorus River eating a fish burrito watching people fish in Istanbul Turkey will be one of my favorite memories of this trip. Beth (ps. I feel like the luckiest person alive everyday)
