The weekend is here! We’ve had a very busy but fun week and it doesn’t stop there. Today was a tourist day where there were no meetings but just site seeing and soaking in the history and architecture that Istanbul has to offer.

We started off by visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque. Here we were able to see a grave site where custom hats were placed on top of the grave stones. Depending on the status of the individual would depict the type of hat that would be on there. The mosque is so big that the area where the ritual washing would usually take place is done outside surrounding the mosque instead of inside.

Our next stop that to me was one of my favorites was the Hagia Sophia. This is one of the greatest marvels of architecture ever constructed. It was constructed as a basilica in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It served as a Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, then an imperial mosque and now a museum.

After the Hagia Sophia our journey led us to the Cistern. This particular Cistern collected water for the gardens. This was a interesting visit because of the story that it entails that relates to the Greek mythology story of Medusa. At the end of the Cistern are statue heads of Medusa that have been turned upside down.

The last stop that our trip brought us to was the Grand Bazaar. I had been looking forward to this since before we came on our trip. I had heard different stories about how the Grand Bazaar was the hugest shopping district in the world. Since I love to shop that was the perfect place for me. When we arrived I was amazed at the different shops that they had and the mass of people that were there as well. Another great part about the Bazaar is that you get to bargain for everything that is sold. I ended up getting some nice gifts for my family at good prices. So it’s safe to safe my bargaining skills are pretty good. Overall a fun day. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has to offer.