Istanbul-2

Hi, today I'll be talking about what I've been doing since Wednesday.
On Wednesday I flew from Athens. My father's business associate retrieved me at the airport, brought me to the hostel and offered me dinner at a restaurant close to the hostel.
On Thursday it was raining, but I still decided to challenge the weather with my cheap umbrella and visited the Mausoleums at Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern (an underground water reservatory) and the Istanbul Archeological Museum, with many expositions (e. g. an exposition about the story of Istanbul). My hostel has a good location, so a lot of interesting places, including these three, are next to me.

Sarcophagi at one of the Mausoleums

The Basilica Cistern

Exposition at the Archeological Museum

Friday I visited the famous Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque (where I saw people getting ready for one of the 5 daily prayers) and some of the remaining structures from the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople.

View of Hagia Sophia's dome from the interior

The Blue Mosque

The Serpent Column, one of the Hippodrome's remaining structures

Today (Saturday) I visited Topkapi Palace, which was used for a long time by the Ottoman Sultans, and is now a museum with many different exhibitions. In there, I also visited the Harem, the area where the Sultan and his family (and the eunuchs...) used to live.

Gate of Felicity at the Topkapi Palace

One of the rooms in the Harem