Istanbul, Turkey (Day 10)

Our last day in Istanbul! Luckily those two girls were not there, and our entire room was able to sleep in this morning. Unfortunately, the water was not working in the hostel for some reason. This meant we could not use the bathroom (which is very hard when you first wake up!) and could not brush our teeth. We heading down for breakfast hoping that by the time we finished, the water would be turned back on. Breakfast was the same as the previous day, and while we were eating, the water was turned back on. We headed back upstairs to go to the bathroom and pack up our suitcases. Our train left later that night, but we had to check out of the hostel before leaving for the day. They had a special place for everyone in the same position to leave their suitcases which was more convenient than renting a locker at the train station. With our luggage secure, we headed out for our final day's adventure.

Unlike the previous two days, it was actually sunny today! We started by retaking some pictures in the better light.

 Probably my favorite photo of the trip!

Then we walked over to the Topkapi Palace. This palace is huge and a little overwhelming. There were two parts of the palace; the museum section and the harem section. Of course, each part had a separate entrance fee! We decided to see the museum first and then if we wanted to, we would see the harem. Inside the palace, there were little rooms that housed things like jewels, armor, and shields. Each room had a long line to get into. The couple of rooms we went in, Layne and I were not really impressed. We walked around the palace a little more and saw all the pretty tulips that were growing in the garden. The best part of the palace was all the intricate and colorful tiles. After walking around, we decided not to visit the harem. 

 Entrance to the Topkapi Palace

 Layne and I with all the tulips in the background

After all the walking around the palace, we were hungry and decided to finally get a doner sandwich. These were everywhere in both Budapest and Istanbul, and both Layne and I had been wanting one! It was difficult to choose which stand to go to, but we found one that had a seating area that overlooked both of the mosques. We both ordered the chicken doner sandwich, and it was really good. Inside the sandwiches, there was chicken, different vegetables, and french fries. The only thing I wished was that it could have been bigger!

The before

 The after

Next on our list was to go back to the Grand Bazaar.  Both of us still needed a few gifts, and I wanted to find that purse I had passed up on the first day. I was not very confident about finding it because there were so many stands, and I did not remember where the stand was located. We did not have much time in the Grand Bazaar because we needed to get to the Spice Bazaar before it closed. We were like girls on a mission. Anyways, we both found all our gifts, and I found the purse! I was super excited!!!

The Spice Bazaar was the on the way towards our hostel, but along crowded streets with more stores. Once we arrived, it was very similar to the Grand Bazaar just on a much smaller scale. And of course, there were lots of spices! It was fun to walk around and smell all the spices and teas. They all smelled so good! 

 Spices

After the Spice Bazaar, we walked back across the river to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum. This was not in our original itinerary, but since it was free on Thursdays, we decided to go. It was fun to walk around the museum and see the different works of art. I probably would not have gone if it had not been free, but since it was, I'm glad we went. Upon leaving the museum, we had some time to kill before going to dinner and decided to stop in at a hookah bar. I had never smoked hookah, so it was a new experience for me. We decided to share an apple flavored pipe. Surprisingly, I could not really taste the tobacco and the apple flavor came through. I really did not smoke that much because although I am embarassed to say it, I was getting light headed. In addition to the hookah, I also ordered a cinnamon apple tea which tasted really good. Don't think I'll be smoking hookah any time in near future!

 Like a natural! Just kidding, I look ridiculous!

 Layne and I at the hookah bar

After the hookah bar, it was time to grab dinner. I went with this thing called a kumpir, which is a potato that you can fill with whatever toppings you want. I filled mine with cheese, this spicy risotto, carrots, black olives, and butter. It was an unusual combination of toppings, but it tasted pretty good. We needed to hustle after dinner to go back to the hostel, pay for our beds, and catch the train.

We made it to the train station with an hour before it departed and bought our bed. Unfortunately we learned that the train was not going directly to Belgrade. We had to stop in Sofia and then catch another train to Belgrade. We also learned that there were no private sleeping compartments, just compartments with six beds. Hoping that we would be alone in our six person compartment, we waited while the train filled up. After a while, this English couple with all their luggage (at least five bags!) joined our compartment. Although it was a little cramped, at least they spoke English and were very nice. We all settled in for the long train ride ahead.