Day 2

The hotels amazing buffet breakfast (And this wasn't even all of it.. There's still soups, drinks, a huge selection of breads and hot foods: eggs, sausage, capsicum and potatoes)

We spent the whole day walking around Istanbul and covered over half of the main sights in one day. Needless to say we were exhausted by the end.

Pia outside the German fountain near Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque). 

Details of the fountain.

The Blue Mosque.

The main dome in the Blue Mosque.

The view from outside.

Nuruosmaniye Mosque near the Grand Bazaar.

And again.

Head scarves must be worn inside all mosques.

The Grand Bazaar has over 4,000 stalls in total.

The Spice Bazaar (also known as the Egyptian Bazaar): selection of teas,

Dried fruits,

And spices!

We'd heard from the concierge that there was great fish restaurants under the Galata bridge. After fighting off a number of very eager restaurant promoters, we were offered a deal we couldn't resist. Two fish sandwiches, a fruit platter and endless tea on the house all up for 13TL ($6.50 total!). 

If you look closely you can spot the restaurants in the shadow.

Our amazing view from lunch.

Galata Tower in Bereketzo.

The view from the Galata Tower hill.

In need of a pick me up, we stopped in a park and ate our goodies we'd bought from the spice bazaar. 

We then headed to Istiklal Avenue (the equivalent of Pitt Street)...

Stopping by a modern art gallery.

Then to Taksim Square.

Afterwards we walked a little more along the water, exploring the beautiful views, Dolmabahçe mosque and palace before having dinner at a marketplace.

Dinner at the market.

Exhausted from what felt like walking the equivalent of a marathon, we headed home and fell into bed, falling asleep like babies.