Breakfast on the terrace with only the swifts, the magpies and a very photogenic fly was just what i needed on our last full day in Istanbul. Our first stop was to Little Aya Sophia, Phil had shorts on so I went in alone to a very cute Mosque where I was also allowed to stand on the roof of the pillars where children were being taught the Quaran.
The walk back to Aya Sophia wasn't fun, two water stops and an ice cream later to cool me from the inside out was needed as it was basking sunshine and I felt my skin crisp as we walked, even through factor 30 sun cream. We passed the train station yet again and this time walked below Galata bridge past the gauntlet of restaurants. On the other side we went by the fish market, and then looked for the funnicular entrance. While queueing for what we thought was the funnicular, we were escorted out by security as it was the student post office!
We eventually found the funnicular, and make it to Beyoglu and boarded the nostalgic tram to meet Basak in Taksim sqaure. We didn't know what Basak looked like, so luckily she found us. We walked the street, had a drink and Phil succummbed to his addiction to nargile. We looked in the most ornate churches, then had a drink looking at the sea. We laughed, we cried with laughter and the got dinner for a bargain 10TL. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and it ended perfectly too with a night time taxi back to the hotel. What a way to spend a perfect last day.
