4th Annual Holiday Trip Part 2--Hagia Sophia & The Grand Bazaar

After the Topkapi Palace, Rochelle, Dad, Laura, and I headed to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia will likely be crowned one of the new Seven Wonders of the World this summer. The building is significant because it was originally a Christian church that was converted into a mosque during the Turkish conquest.
Rather than destroying the Christian mosaics and symbols, the Turks simply plastered over them—preserving them. As we walked through the Hagia Sophia, which was enormous, it was amazing to see Islamic and Christian symbols side by side. There were also pictures of U.S. Presidents and other heads of states visiting the Hagia Sophia.

We walked through the rain over to one of the most prominent landmarks in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. Unlike the Hagia Sophia which is now a museum, the Blue Mosque is a mosque that Muslims currently use. As a result, as portion of the mosque is open to tourists. The inside of the mosque was a gigantic open room with a large dome. The architecture was truly impressive but I felt like I might be intruding on those who were worshipping in the mosque.



After the Blue Mosque, we changed our pace and headed to the Grand Bazaar—the world’s largest market. The Grand Bazaar has over 1000 stores that carry shoes, clothes, leather goods, jewelry, spices, souvenirs, and more. It was literally a maze in there. A person could get lost in the Grand Bazaar in no time flat. Bargaining is the name of the game at the Grand Bazaar. Rochelle, Laura, and I were enjoying the shopping experience. My dad on the other hand, was not a fan. Eventually we let dad go back to the hotel so we could do take our time shopping. Our time in Istanbul was great, but it was time to head to our next stop: the region of Cappadocia…