This was the 2nd of 2 days with our dynamite tour guide. It was a late night for us yesterday and a 7AM start for us this morning; we were all kind of sluggish. A quick stop at “our” breakfast café was not a disappointment. In addition to 2 espressos, I had menemen. It’s a popular traditional Turkish dish and differs from shakshuka (which we had last year in Costa Rica) only by how the eggs are treated. It was a great dish as you can see in the photo below.

Our guide had given us his transit pass yesterday afternoon to ease our journey this morning. The train stop was directly across the street from the café so travel was a breeze. He was waiting for us at the designated stop and we hit the ground running.

The Blue Mosque was our first stop, and again we got there before the crowds. The mosque was built next to the former Hippodrome and stands across from the Hagia Sophia (which we toured yesterday). It is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque constructed between 1609 and 1617 I and remains a functioning mosque today. It is huge but with great proportions as you’ll see below.

Our next stop was the Süleymaniye Mosque, another Ottoman imperial mosque. It was constructed prior to the Blue Mosque having been completed around 1577. It is the largest Ottoman-era mosque in the city. Like other Ottoman imperial foundations, the mosque is part of a larger külliye (religious and charitable complex) which included madrasas, a public kitchen, and a hospital, among others.

From there we had a quick tea stop and then on to the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. This mosque is small by comparison to all the others, and felt quite “personal.” It is known for the extraordinary İznik tiles that cover almost every vertical surface both in the interior and under the entrance porch (see photos).

Lunch followed at another café that unless you knew about it, you’d walk on by. Our guide “did” know about it and we’re glad he did. They had a variety of food, the best of which was a Turkish flatbread that had minced meat and spices covering a thin piece of bread. It was rolled up like a burrito and was a dynamite dish.

The final stop was a boat ride north on the Bosporus circling back to where we started. It was a beautiful day. The gentle rocking of the boat ride immediately after lunch put us all in a napping mode. We called it quits for the day resulting in a very disappointed guide who thought he had disappointed us. It was nothing of the sort; we needed naps before we got cranky!

We did delay our naps just a bit to stop back by “our” café to pick up some Turkish ice cream, baklava, and some meringues. Naps immediately ensued.

Breakfast

The Blue Mosque

Süleymaniye Mosque

Rüstem Pasha Mosque