Istanbul, Friday 13 June, Day 51

Great breakfast on the terrace of the hotel this morning. I think we have gone to fig jam heaven - a huge bowl of rich chunky fig jam on the table, along with fresh fruit, salad, and fresh bread. Anne's knee giving some trouble so I went off in search of an ATM to get some local currency and a chemist to buy paracetamol and ibuprofen. I headed off in what turned out to be a wrong direction, but it took me past the Little_Hagia_Sophia built around 527 AD by Justinian, past big chunks of Roman defensive wall in various stages of disrepair or absorption into newer structures, past the Blue Mosque, the Column_of_Constantine, and more.

Eventually found both ATM and pharmacy - pharmaceuticals incredibly cheap here compared to Australia -  as well as a shop to buy some baklava, and completed a circuit walking back down steep narrow streets through what seems to be the rag trade district. A lot of people moving big packages, bolts of cloth and boxes on trolleys or on their backs, as the streets are so narrow and the traffic so gridlocked that human transportation must be the most efficient way.

The weather was beautiful, mid 20's, light sea breeze, brilliant blue sky. We explored some more streets sussing out lunch options, and chose a nice place with an open dinning area under a grape vine, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch. It is so nice not to have to rush around and to know that we have time to see what we want to see.

We looped up the hill, this time past the Hippodrome and the Obelisk_of_Theodosius, placed there in 357 ad. The Obelisk itself dates from 1450 BC, but owing to the hardness of the granite from which it was carved, it looks like it was created yesterday. The Roman marble on which it stands hasn't weathered so well, though the story of the transportation and erection of the obelisk is still visible.

There were huge crowds of local people and tourists out enjoying the day. We wanted a low key day so we headed home early down some more little streets with beautiful old Ottoman wooden houses, which have a distinctly Eastern air about them. We are staying in a residential area with families and playgrounds, siblings looking after toddlers, washing drying on the lines - it's nice to be part of everyday Turkish life.

For dinner we went to an area I'd stumbled on, with many restaurants down streets radiating out from a central fountain. It was jumping. Large groups of both Turkish people and tourists all out for a good time, coloured lights strung across the shop fronts and streets and a lively festive mood.  Every restaurateur was out the front of his business promising the best food and prices.  We chose a place that seemed OK and sat on the upstairs terrace watching the scene becoming ever more boisterous.  There were at least 5 competing Turkish bands working the crowd, dishes that seemed to involve sheets of flame in a sort of wok shaped dish while the waiter poked at it, people clapping and dancing and singing. By the time we'd eaten, we had complete sensory overload and an exorbitant bill full of mystery charges ... more than enough for day one.

Tomorrow we look forward to beginning our explorations of some of the wonderful structures and historic legacy of this amazing city.