Hello and Goodbye . . . Istanbul

My tour of Istanbul, Turkey is coming to an end today.  It was a wonderful trip.

It is known as the home of the famous Blue Mosque and the spice market. Because of the EID holiday, the spice market was closed.

The Blue Mosque

Spice Market - Closed because of EID

No worries.  There was plenty to see and do.

Garden view of the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

We visited a palace that holds an 86-carat diamond.  Amazing!  I'm not a big jewelry person, but you can't help but love this rock.  Pictures weren't allowed, but I found this one online.

86-carat diamond

Flowers and shrubs in the shape of the flag,
in the garden at the Blue Mosque

"New" Mosque located at the harbor

My absolute favorite part of the trip was our voyage to The Big Island, one of nine islands in this area, that took an hour to reach by boat.  There were huge houses, mansions really, around every corner and every bend in the road.  Some were high on the hills, others at street level, and all incredibly beautiful.  Cars are forbidden on this island.  The only mode of transportation is by horse and buggy - they act as taxis - or on bikes or by foot.  So, so cool.

View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

This dog and cat were oblivious to the crowds walking by

Clock tower in the town square

There must have been at least 100 horse carriages ferrying folks around the island. All of the horses had "poop catchers" which was a brilliant idea or else there would have been tons of poop in the streets.

A few of the many horse carriages

There was some of the most vibrant-colored fruits and vegetables I've ever seen sold at store fronts.  I'm guessing all of the horse poop makes great fertilizer.

Speaking of fruit, I've eaten the best figs ever, here.  There eaten like apples with the peeling intact.  They're pale yellow and deep brownish/purple.  Yummy!

Panoramic View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

View of building in town square

The island is only a two-mile trip around, and there are only 7000 residents.  There were that many visitors yesterday alone.

Over-the-shoulder wine flask

On the way back to Istanbul, one of the tour guides acted as emcee and invited folks from the many and varied countries to come up and sing a song native to their country/region.  A video clip of one brave soul's rendition is below.

There were three other women traveling alone, so we hung out together because the buggy ride required four people.  It worked out great.  They are lovely ladies.

Me and my new friends 

So long Istanbul.

As always, thanks for sharing this ride with me.