2025 Volendam, Istanbul, Turkey...

I as out front to take some photos of Istanbul before sunrise. Then we met our guide Umit, at the entrance to the Galaport Cruise Terminal for a walking tour of the iconic sites of the city. We walked to the tram station and rode to Istanbul’s Old Town area known as Sultanahmet district bringing us to Sultanahmet Square. This square contains Istanbul’s major historical and architectural sites. Today, we choose to visit the Haifa Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern. Our first stop was the Haifa Sophia followed by the Blue Mosque; the two mosques are located across from each other in Sultanahmet Square. The Hagia Sophia has a longer, more complex history, having served as a church, mosque, and museum before becoming a mosque again, while the Blue Mosque was built later in the 17th century to rival Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia features Byzantine-era mosaics and Christian and Islamic elements, whereas the Blue Mosque is known for its six minarets and the blue tiles that give it its name. Next, we walked to the Hippodrome. The ancient chariot racing arena is now a public space with monuments like the German Fountain, Obelisk of Theodore and the Serpent Column. We made our way to the Cistern. The Basilica Cistern is an ancient underground water reservoir with a unique atmosphere.  The largest of several 100 ancient cisterns beneath the city that provided a water filtration system for the buildings nearby. The beauty of the place is undeniable with a mysterious atmosphere and the fascinating Medusa heads at its base. After leaving Sultanahmet Square we made our way to the Grand Bazaar…This is one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets, offering a wide variety of goods. The Bazaar has 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops. From the Grand Bazaar we returned to the ship by tram. This city is rich with historical sites from its time as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires and attracts thousands of visitors daily.