One the last day of our brief visit to
Istanbul, we walked from our hotel to the shore of the Sea of Marmara.
We could see cargo ships shuttling goods to and fro in the distance.
Walking through the back roads of Sultanahmet, we discovered a fitness oasis. We took a few minutes to play around with the free, public exercise machines.
We continued on to
Topkapi Palace, the last remaining major tourist attraction we'd yet to see in Istanbul.
We followed large groups of school children through the turreted entrance.
We opted to pay the extra fee to see the Harem. In contrast to western stereotypes, the Harem was simply the home and place of business of the Sultan's wives and favorites. The surroundings were quite lavish with beautiful patterned tiles in all shades of blue and green.
We continued deeper into the Harem...
...past intricately decorated domes and passageways.
We emerged onto a small courtyard.
Beyond, the rooms were decorated with feather-light domes.
More tiles and secret alcoves greeted us.
The domes became even more impressive as we reached the more important chambers in the Harem including the Sultan's bedchamber.
We could see out the window and watch the happenings on the Topkapi Palace grounds.
We passed a sitting room and intricately decorated exterior.
We appreciated sweeping views of Istanbul in the distance.
We took a quick look at some of the other structures on the palace grounds.
The tiles, stained glass, and domes were exquisite.
The grounds were actually getting quite crowded with noisy, giggling student groups so we quickly made our exit back to the bustling streets of Sultanahmet.
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