Day 131 - After breakfast, we headed back to Sultanahmet. We walked to Karakoy as it's, as they say, all downhill from here. There was a marathon on so the M1 Tram wasn't coming to this side of the river. We walked across the oldest bridge as millions have and will continue to do. Guys were fishing from the middle. Then, we walked to where we could board the tram.
What a great day to be out and about in Istanbul. The weather was a pleasant 16C and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. As Sunday is a day off, there were literally tens of thousands of others doing the same. We rode along the Tram Line to Toptaki just to enjoy the street life from the comfort of public transportation. There weren't a lot of amazing views, just the stuff of everyday life here.
As each trip counts a single fare, we just turned and returned along the same route for free until we got to Sultanahmet. A trip is completed when one exits. As it was a Sunday that might have felt like the first day of real spring for people, everybody was out! Most were in our train car, I think.
It was a picturesque morning. The weather will continue to warm up a degree or two each day during the remainder of our stay. We went inside both the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
We ate at our restaurant in that area again today. The thing I should remember is spilling chicken sauce all over my right pant leg! I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get out the stain on these beige pants. It's a small thing after visiting world-famous sites hundreds of years old!
We returned by going to the University area and taking the Metro 2 line back to our stop. It crosses the Bosphorus on a transit-only bridge.
Lately, our big meal is for lunch. (Well, the breakfast spreads at the hotel are sufficient too.) So we got cup of soups and bread at a local supermarket for dinner tonight. Oh, and I'm trying a different Turkish beer with every dinner.
This is what our hotel looks like at night. We look out at this plaza and have a great view both day and night. Lots of people watch the sunset from the steps. Dogs and cats come to get petted by all the Metro passengers who get out at Şeşhane and these social animals come for the attention and a great place to nap in the sunshine during daylight hours.
