It is our last official day of the tour. It's hard to believe it's over, yet it feels as if it has been weeks.
We get to sleep in a little, which is welcome. Our first stop today is the Blue Mosque. Also known as the Sultanahmet Camii, it was completed in 1616. Why then "Blue"? I have now heard two stories. The one being that it is because of the blue tiles used for the mosaics inside. Ilker tells us that, during the afternoon, when the sun shines through the windows, there is a blue hue inside the mosque. I find this a lot more believable, especially looking at all the non-blue tiles used in the mosaics.
Opposite the Blue Mosque you will find the Hagia Sophia Museum. The current structure was initially built as an orthodox basilica in around 530AD, around 1100 years before the Blue Mosque was built. It remained a church until Sultan Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople (Istanbul), decided to convert the entire city to Islam and covered all the frescoes and paintings inside the building. The good news, however, is that they covered it by first whitewashing the walls, and then covering them with cement. They had a few more problems though. Mosques usually need to face the correct way in order for the prayers to be directed at the right place. The Hagia Sophia did not quite cater for this, but with a few small adjustments, they managed to use the basilica as a mosque until 1935 when the nation's hero, Ataturk, decided to transform it into a museum. And because the frescoes were covered the way they were, they have been able to restore them to their former beauty. 
During lunch, we spent some time walking around the fascinating streets in the surrounding area, while Niel satisfied his engineering interests by visiting the Basilica Cistern. This ancient underground cistern was built in the 6th century. It is called the Basilica Cistern, because of the great basilica that used to stand in its place. The roof of the cistern is supported by 336 columns, each over 8 meter high. Two of these columns have head bases that depict Medusa's head, although the one head is upside down, and the other on its side. It is believed that these bases were plundered from earlier monuments, although it is not quite clear why they are not the right way round. 
After lunch we took a short stroll to the Topkapi palace. Built between 1459 and 1465, this was the principal residence of Mehmet II, and remained the home of sultans for over 400 years. When the Ottoman empire collapsed in 1912, this palace was turned into a museum, and now houses displays of some of the precious objects, weapons and dresses of the sultans. We were all struck by the size of some of the dresses/coats. One of the best treasures has to be the Spoonmaker's Diamond, an 86 Carat Diamond said to be found by a poor fisherman who traded it for 3 wooden spoons.
A dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus marked the official end of our tour. I loved the way Ilker described his feelings of excitement at the start and end of each tour. He simply loves how he gets a busload of people, a busload of lives, a busload of world, and ending with family of friends, who share so many special memories. We share a good meal, good memories and laughs, and contact details, and then glumly allow the bus to drive us back to the hotel for the last time.
Seeing that it is still early, we decide to try and visit the Galata Tower to get a view of the city at night. With the assistance of the hotel staff, we manage to get a taxi to take us. What an experience. We have seen the mayhem of Istanbul traffic from the safety of our bus. Being in a taxi that whizzes between lanes, choosing the smallest of gaps to try and get ahead of the next car, can be hair-raising. But we managed to get to Galata Tower in one piece. Unfortunately, the tower was already closed for anything other than an 80 Euro dinner deal. Once again, language got in our way. The conversation went something like this (there was some form of a reception desk with two mildly friendly Turks willing to provide some assistance):
Us: Can we go up into the tower?
Turk: Tower closed (Pointing at notice board with "operating" hours). You come tomorrow.
Us: Okay, but is there somewhere where we can see the view over the city?
Turk: Yes, you see from tower
Us: So can we go up in the tower then?
Turk: No, tower closed, you come tomorrow
Us: Okay. So where can we go to see a view of the city
Turk: You see from tower
Us: So can we go up in the tower then?
Turk: No, closed, you come back tomorrow
Us: *sigh*
Eventually we managed to get the name of a restaurant a little further down the hill, so we set off down the narrow streets. I'm not sure whether it was skill or pure luck, but we found the restaurant, allowed ourselves to be hoisted up in the tiny lift, and stood completely astounded by the beautiful views from its roof. I just love seeing cities at night. If they get the lighting correct, it can be just magical. Istanbul is like that at night. Magical.
From the rooftop cafe, we walked back down Istiklal Cadessi, the shopping boulevard of Taksim. It was now after 10pm, and the street was about as busy as Adderly Street, Cape Town at the opening of the festive season. And this was only a normal late-winter Wednesday evening. We have been told by various people that Istanbul has a great vibe. One of the Portuguese ladies on the tour kept saying that Istanbul was a lot busier than New York can ever be. Earlier, Ilker drew some comparisons for us. If you are walking in the street, and you bump into the back of someone, in Istanbul, that person would be too busy to notice, so would not say anything. In Izmir, that person would apologize to you for bumping into them, and in Ankara, that person would pick a fight with you, because he is not busy rushing off somewhere. Istanbul is just one very busy city. You can see it everywhere. In Ilker's words - Istanbul is an untidy city, with some kind of balance. 
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