Istanbul | day 6

We spent a big part of the day visiting the Topkapı Palace; it's such a beautiful place! I particularly loved the tiled walls and roofs - so many wonderful patterns and colours...

 
After that we walked around the Blue Mosque to visit the small but beautiful Mosaic Museum. There, among the amazing 5th century mosaics, we spotted a rather modern looking sandal and a beard definitely fit for a 2014 hipster. :-)

Istanbul | day 5

Our fifth day in Istanbul was a very productive and photogenic one, so get ready for an avalanche of photos!

We started with a visit to the Archaeological Museum, where we marveled at beautiful sculptures and stunning tiles.

 
After that we headed to the magnificent Hagia Sofia; what an incredibly impressive place! It's mind-boggling to think that it was built in 537 and it's still standing as strong as the day people first set foot in it.

When we left we headed to the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, a beautiful spot with wonderful blue tiles, and then we walked to the old Orient Express train station where we watched whirling Dervishes. We topped it all with a ferry ride in the sunset, with a cup of tea and a couple of lokums... What a 'delight' of a day!