old Istanbul

So on our way back to America we had two layovers, one in Istanbul and one in London. We founded a form of tourism, called speed tourism. We saw both Istanbul and London under 2 hours! Well, we did have a little more time in Istanbul.

We arrived fresh (and for me weepy) off the plane from Kurdistan. It was dusk and made taking pictures so easy! Istanbul really is a beautiful city, and ancient.

The Haiga Sofia.
On our self-guided tour of the Haiga Sofia, I learned.... that the structure is very old and built by Constantine shortly after becoming a Christian. It was one of the first cathedrals or churches and drew those hungry for God from all around the kingdom.

The Blue Mosque. These two structures share the same courtyard and look very similar.

Inside the Haiga Sofia.

Ancient doors and vaulted ceilings.
Then a couple more steps and you're at the harbor where many people were fishing at this perfect hour for fishing. I'm pretty sure these women are Kurdish. I heard some Kurdish language.
Bench pic. We sat down and just laughed and relaxed... feeling "Wow, we just finished a year in Iraq!"
beautiful harbor.

Jesse climbed out onto this "dock".
McDonalds? Yes, please!
This is a very ancient find. The Byzantinium Empire (I think) went to Egypt and took some souvenirs. This structure was errected 2,500 years ago.... when it was created, who knows!?! There are heiroflifics and images of bugs and eagles and temples.
And then the Byzantiniums added this capitol.
YES!!!!!! Starbucks! Iced coffee with cream, mmmmmmm!