Adventures of David and Paul: Istanbul: Coasters, Mosques and a Turkish Tasting Menu!

With just two full days left in Istanbul, we continued at a fast pace. We woke up around 8:30am on a Monday and took a taxi to Chora Church (Kariye Mosque), which has impressive Byzantine mosaics and frescoes from 1310-1317. It's not very large, but it's a worthwhile stop thanks to the fantastic level of preservation of the art. Just like the Hagia Sophia, the church was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest around 1500 then turned into a museum in 1945 until it was reconverted to a mosque in 2020. This church/mosque was unique in that it was on the far edge of the city, near the old Roman walls and was considered (at the time) a more pastoral setting.

After visiting Chora, we then walked to the nearby section of city walls, which were, unfortunately, not in great shape. There's a small museum attached to a portion of the wall, but it was closed when we passed by. From there we wandered through the very cute and colorful Balat neighborhood. We stopped in a cafe and had iced coffee and a matcha, and talked a bit with some Australians who really liked the milk in their coffee drinks. The owner's super cute kid was chilling and watching videos. We walked around a bit, seeing the brightly painted houses, and walked past something that was filming (maybe a Turkish movie or TV show?).

Good morning lil pigeon friend.

Chora Church on a brilliantly sunny morning.

Many of the frescoes/mosaics have been touched up/restored since Chora became a museum.

Interior frescoes.

Also great mosaics.

Section of the wall that used to separate Constantinople and the wilds.

Balat neighborhood is hilly and less densely developed than Galata/more central neighborhoods.

Of course there were cats.

Makeshift cat houses. These were all over Istanbul. Sometimes they were wooden/steel like dog houses. These were waterproof cardboard.

Shop owners would park bikes in front of their cafes to prevent people from parking (and ruining their curb appeal).

Balat coffee shop vibes.

He's a sweepy kitty!

Turkish cinema!

There were a couple rows of colorful houses like this that were popular with tourists.

From there we split up - David continued walking around colorful Balat a bit more, eventually deciding to make his way to Suleymaniye Mosque. From there he cut through the Grand Bazaar to visit the Islamic Science and Technology Museum (which was near Topkapi Palace). This was essentially a walk across the entire Golden Horn - which was mostly very interesting, and only sometimes along big roads with lots of traffic. The museum was mostly empty and didn't have the best exhibits. After visiting the museum, he headed back towards the AirBnB (taking the tram) to siesta for the late afternoon while waiting for Paul to return.

Suleymaniye Mosque

Interior of the mosque.

Attached cemetery with cat guards.

View toward Galata and the Bosphorus from the mosque.

The Grand Bazaar.

A room inside the Islamic Science and Technology Museum.

Meanwhile, Paul took a short taxi ride to the Marmaray train station. This is like a long distance commuter rail, but runs at high frequencies and is the only train with a Bosphorus crossing. It was about an hour east, into Asia, to Tuzla Station, where the goal was to get the last coaster credits of the trip. From Tuzla it was a short taxi ride to Viaport Marina (ViaSea), where Paul rode his landmark 1000th coaster, Red Fire! He also got a bonus kiddie coaster credit that was not yet listed on the roller coaster database. Taking the train back west, he made a quick stop at Bostanci Luna Park for a wild mouse coaster. From there, Google said a bus was the best way to get to the AirBnB. There were great views from the bus while crossing the Bosphorus bridge.

Red Fire, Paul's 1000th credit.

ViaSea is a small but cute park.

And a little bonus park.

Crossing the bridge on the bus.

After reuniting at the AirBnB, we chilled on the roof for a bit before our dinner reservation at Aheste. We usually like having one or two splurge meals on big trips, and this was our fancy dinner out in Istanbul. Aheste has a tasting menu celebrating the rich history of Turkish cuisine and great cocktails. Some highlights were the Turkish rice dish and lamb neck "pizza." David wouldn't eat the lamb heart, but Paul enjoyed it. After dinner we headed back to the AirBnB and hung out on the roof for a little longer before turning in for the night.