Today was another busy day us. Although I woke up early, I had to wait for the rest to come alive before we could head out to the Basilica Cistern. This structure, built during the 6th century is a large underground cistern that provided filtered water to the the Great Palace of Constantinople and then eventually to the Topkapi Palace. For those number crunchers out there, the cistern is 26 feet underground, covers 105,000 square feet and can hold up to 100,000 tons of water. The roof of the cistern is held up by 336 marble columns. Restored in 1987, the water is now only a couple feet deep and tourists are allowed to roam around.
After we finished this tour, we stopped for lunch, where I had my first taste of the local beer. I was asked if I wanted a small or large glass and I ordered the large thinking it was a pint...
After lunch and a couple bathroom breaks we headed over to the Topkapi Palace. This palace was the home to the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 - 1856 and is now museum highlighting the muslim world during this period. We saw jewels galor including a 67 carat diamond, clothing that was 400 years old and the various weapons of the day. Because we were all in shorts, we were not allowed to see the holy relics which apparently includes Muhammed's cloak and sword.
I never realized just how much history is in Turkey. As we were walking back to the hotel you see relics everywhere just resting on the side of the road.
So I'm still not quite used to the Turkish coffee yet, which is causing a little grumpiness in the mornings but I'm usually ok by dinner.
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