Today was another great day. We woke up to sunshine. After breakfast we headed downstairs on our adventures. As soon as we got outside we had to go back inside to grab warmer clothes…… Although it is beautiful here it is freakishly cold. 

In my earlier post I forgot to mention that Jordan is a hit with all of the people. She is already opening doors for us. Apparently she is considered good luck. Sometimes it is unnerving as there is always touching on the head or giving her a kiss involved. A lot of the time it is men. Although yesterday after dinner there was a lady that asked for permission to kiss Jordan. Jordan said yes but retorted after that the lady kissed her twice and not the one time she asked for. 

Again we headed down the street towards the blue mosque but instead we headed left towards the Basilica cistern - the subterranean water storage system. We arrived but found we didn’t have enough currency to get in (20 TL per person). Off we went in search of an exchange store. On our search we found a lovely art exhibition on the Hittites - an ancient civilization of Asia minor and Syria. The painting were lovely. On our way back we entered the Gülhane park. The tulips and various flowers that are in bloom were amazing. There was even a layout of the evil eye. We found a play structure for the kids to play on for a bit. Always nice to let them blow off some steam. 

gardens

evil eye flower arrangement

gardens

play structure

tulips

We decided to head back along the bottom portion of the park and what should we see? A green parrot flying free from tree to tree. This was a first for me. There was also a colony of herons way up at the top of the trees. It always amazes me to see these tall birds gracefully perched atop the flimsy branches. I thought of you Nancy when I saw them.

heron colony

After grabbing a corn on the cob, chocolate spread on a sesame roll and a cinnamon roll we finally found the currency exchange after hoofing it back up the street with Jordan on Shaun’s shoulders. By this time the kids were getting tired and didn’t want to see the cistern so we stopped for a künefe - sweet cheese pastry served hot with ice cream at Pashah.

on our way to Pashah

künefe

We all decided that we wanted to hop on the tram to see the Galata tower built in 1348 - the Ottomans started to use the 220 foot tower in 1717 to spot fires in the city. It was of course at the top of a hill. 

stairs up to the Galata Tower

Galata Tower

We then headed back down to the tram to get to our hotel. On our walk from the tram to the hotel entrance we noticed another “homeless” girl (bare foot and no jacket)so we grabbed one of our fleece blankets and a pair of socks to give to her. When Paige, Shaun and Jordan arrived back to hand the girl the items she was in a winter coat and shoes playing with her friends. It was a good learning experience for the girls.