A mosque where you can arrive from the bosphorus by boat and behind is Ortakoy - apparently a good place to go out in summer! Not in the picture but to the right (north) there is one bridge (Boğaziçi Köprüsü) connecting Europe and Asia.
I was quite surprised that I saw the Obelisk is aligned with the 3 minarets of the blue mosque.
The large space is broken up by a forest of 336 marble columns each 9 metres high. The columns - mainly in iconic and corinthian styles - are arranged in 12 rows each consisting of 28 columns. Was built by Justianus in the 6th century and the water was provided from the Belgrade Woods - 19km north of the city.
Turkish flags offered in every size - in Istanbul everything is offered on the streets!
Busy street off the touristic paths filled mainly with locals. Sometimes there are also cars there stuck for hours - the density is really incredible.
Quite a good place to get an overview of the city - or have a coffee or dinner. Through this window we can see the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on the other side of the Golden Horn.
Located in the district Sultanahmet it is one of the two mosques in turkey with 6 minarets. At night the blue mosque is illuminated in red - and with sea gulls enjoying the thermal conditions from the Marmara sea. It is one of the most visited sights in Istanbul.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque
Hagia Sophia from inside with a scaffolding. A very impressive building errected 1500 years ago. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 AD on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It is one of the most important sights of every Istanbul visit and pictured from outside on almost every postcard.
more background on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia
A very steep little valley which you would not expect in the middle of the smooth hills in this area. Good for climbing and the neighborhood is also good for caving/pottholing.
Mike Hladik has been a member since 10 November 2007 and goes by megamike.