Istanbul Local Orientation - Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia

Well, that's a bit weird. I forgot to mention yesterday that outside our apartment window is our neighbour: Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque. One of 3,267 such places. Yet we didn't hear the call to prayer before sunrise this morning. Did we sleep that soundly? I'll report back tomorrow. Still, it makes for a pretty unique view and a quieter start to the day. 😂

This morning we needed to head out and find breakfast as we hadn't been to a supermarket yet and didn't bring anything with us. We headed down our street and a little further to find a small breakfast café. A couple of small bread pretzel-like items, a coffee, and a tea for 210 Lira ($9 NZD). We sat and watched the world go by while enjoying our breakfast.

After breakfast, we continued to explore the local area in a rough circular route. There were a mixture of very pretty and quite rough looking streets. 

We eventually ended up at the Sultan Ahmet Park, which has the famous Blue Mosque at one end and the also-famous Hagia Sofia at the other end. It was an impressive spot to start our first day in Istanbul. The sight of Hagia Sofia and how big it is is something we will never forget.

We did a full circuit of Hagia Sofia and stopped at a shop to buy a couple of small items to take home. The shop was odd in that there was no one there initially, and anyone could have stolen things—but obviously, they don't. The owner finally emerged from a side door so Sarah could pay him. On our walk, we only had a couple of people ask us if we wanted to visit their carpet shop. We expected more.

Next, we went through the Arasta Bazaar, a small line of shops beside the Blue Mosque. Sarah went into one shop to buy something while I watched outside. I met and struck up a conversation with Azim, who owns the shop next door. He spoke very good English, which he learned when he worked at a hostel in Istanbul when he was younger. He has had his shop in the bazaar for 30 years, although in two different locations. He knew a little bit about New Zealand. He was telling me how he owns a holiday home in a smaller village about 1.5 hours away. He has to go there tomorrow to round up his chickens, which have escaped, and his neighbour is worried their dog might eat them. 😂 The funny things that you learn chatting to people. He, at no stage, asked if I wanted to buy anything from his shop. Just a really friendly and nice guy.

We finished our loop via a supermarket stop for water, milk, and cereal. Then we went back to the apartment. A short 4.5 km outing.

Later in the day, we needed lunch and a bigger supermarket shop, so we walked a couple more kilometers to check an alternative store. We stocked up with chicken, veges, bread, and a few other essentials. It was a late lunch when we got back at 2 pm.

Before dinner, we went back up to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia with the sun lower in the sky—not quite setting. We wanted to see things in different light and also to be sure where the mosque entrance was to save us time for our visit tomorrow. 

We then visited the Hippodrome which is another square containing two very old and large Obelisks. It's where they used to host chariot races. The square is also called Sultanahmet Square or Atmeydanı meaning horse square. Interesting fact: Hippos in Greek means horse and drómos means course. 

Dinner was chicken with a new spice mix, lettuce, and tomato in wraps. Easy and nice!