Istanbul sights

So we started with Toplapi palace. This palace had been used by Turkish sultans (kings) . It has amazing grounds, tile decorations, interesting stories (rival sons being locked in the harem) and even a harem! That night we took a local ferry at sunset( my 0.50 sunset cruise), it was beautiful!
The next day we went to the Haghia Sophia, which is a Huge church from roman times that has been turned into a mosque but there are still amazing mosaics and frescos that date
back to the fourth and fifth century. After that we walked to the Blue Mosque which has 6 minarets and is filled with amazing
blue and white tiles. These two mosques make up most pictures you see of Istanbul. After we visited the mosques Micah wanted to go to a musuem that I didn't want to go to. So I sat under a tree in saltunhamen square (which had wifi because Istanbul is the European city of 2010 and they are making improvements). It rained a bit but I was fine under my tree and ended up making friends with an Egyptian guy who was also a tourist. We had a fabulous talk, you know you can picture it. Micah made friends with some professors and a guy from Dubia. That night we went to the happening part of Istanbul. It is called Beyogl, it is built on a very steep hill. To get there we took a tram across the Bosphorus, then a funicular (which is like a cable car that goes up a hill), an old fashioned tram to the square. The streets are filled with glittering lights, tons of all kinds of people, cafes and shops! It was just beautiful and lively! We ate at the base of the area the first night and then I talked Micah into eating at the fanciest Burger King ever!! It tasted so good with an amazing view of the square.
Our last day in Istanbul (we are going back for two days before we fly home) we went to the Cisterns and Beylerbeyi Palace. The Cisterns were how the people of Istanbul held fresh water for centuries. It is filled with all types of columns and even two Medusa heads. It was so interesting. Beylerbeyi Palace is the new palace of Turkish kings and presidents. The last sultan lived there and the first president of turkey, Ataturk (think a Turkish George Washington but from the early 1900s). It is so amazing!! The palace is filled with gold leaf, huge chandiliers, lovely carpets and drapiers. It could rival any European palace, which was the sultans goal but it unfortunately made Turkey broke and weak for world war one.
We also went the the Grand Bazaar (I tried to haggle some) abd the spice bazaar, which is where the real deals can be found.
As I said before I love Istanbul!! It is so colorful and alive.