Walk to Balat Coloured Houses via Istanbul University and a Massive Roman Aqueduct

A quick chat with my dad via WhatsApp this morning — it was nice to hear his voice rather than just read and send messages.

It’s another sunny morning today, with no sign of yesterday’s rain. We set off for a place called Balat, a suburb much further beyond the Grand Bazaar that we visited a few days ago. The reason for visiting Balat was to see the colourful houses. On the way, we crossed a large square right beside a mosque and the Istanbul University grounds.

Sarah noticed that the prices in the döner kebab restaurants suddenly got cheaper. We’re not sure if that was because we’d entered a student zone or simply moved far enough away from the tourist areas — perhaps a bit of both. Unfortunately, it was too early to take advantage of the better prices.

The next landmark marked on our map was a Roman aqueduct — a large one! The arches were big enough that some now form part of a main arterial road, with cars driving through them. It’s called the Aqueduct of Valens and was completed in 373 AD. The aqueduct was originally 268 kilometres long, but the section that has survived here is just 921 metres long and 29 metres high — still quite impressive.

Not far from the aqueduct, on a quieter side street, we passed a bakery that appeared to make and sell just one product — the pizza-like bread bases we’d eaten for lunch near Galata Tower, usually topped with meat and cheese. These ones were plain, but they smelled amazing and had just come out of the oven. I had to try one! Just 15 lira (about 65 cents NZD) — enough for both of us to enjoy a nice snack while walking. It was still hot, wrapped in paper, but soon cool enough to eat. Very yummy when eaten so fresh. We believe it's called a 'Pide'. 

We continued walking along quiet residential streets with very few people or vehicles, which was great. We passed through one busier main street with shops and noticed many of the men wearing round hats that looked typically Turkish — the first time we’d seen any. We assume they were Muslim men, but we’re not sure why we suddenly saw so many dressed this way. At the time, we didn’t think of them as fezzes, but we now believe they were. The area had a real local neighbourhood feel to it, and there were no tourists around — maybe that’s what made it feel so different from where we’re staying.

Finally, we reached the Balat Coloured Houses area marked on our map. We started to see tourists again too. The houses were painted lovely bright colours, each one different. They’re older homes, and some are being restored. The photos we took never quite looked like the ones you see online — but of course, those don’t show dozens of tourists getting in the way! 😂 All a matter of timing.

We wandered the streets for a bit, then headed down the hill to a popular road called Yildirim Caddesi. It was filled with colourful, touristy-looking restaurants, cafés, and shops. Our plan from there had been to grab the tram back to our apartment, but Sarah suggested we walk back instead so we could stop for a cheaper döner kebab near the university. My feet were feeling very sore, but with the promise of food, I was up for it.

Eventually, we reached the cheaper restaurants again and enjoyed a döner each with a Coke Zero — a bread bun version for Sarah and a wrap for me. Not the tastiest ones we’ve had, but after all that walking, they went down a treat. It was also a nice chance to rest my feet.

After lunch, it was only a relatively short walk back to the apartment — a total of just under 12 km for the day! No wonder my feet were sore. Coffee and Turkish delight for afternoon tea helped with my recovery. 😂

Dinner tonight was spaghetti bolognese. Afterward, we went up to see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia lit up at night. It was very beautiful, though hard to get good photos on our phones. We stayed until the evening call to prayer, which was super loud standing between the two large mosques. They alternated their calls, and as we walked back to the Hippodrome, we could hear nearby mosques echoing in response. Very cool.