By now if you are cruising, you are living for this second sea day. Spend it much like the first one – relaxing! It also ended up being our second formal night, so definitely try the lobster & steak combo at dinner.
Heading into Turkey, you will. sail directly underneath the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Çanakkale Bridge is 6,637 feet long! It was crazy realizing how tall our ship was and how we fit perfectly underneath the bridge. Make sure you are on either the top deck or on a balcony to watch this!
Be sure to watch the incredible acrobats & cirque performers, spend some time in the pool and join in the dance party in the atrium.
When you start getting to the dock in Istanbul you will start seeing mosques dot the shore. There are over 3,000 mosques throughout the city.
Our tour guide from Travel Elefante met us at the port exit for our six-hour tour. We started the day at the Blue Mosque. Men are asked to wear long shorts and women are required to wear scarves and long dresses or pants. They also ask you to take off your shoes inside the building.
The Blue Mosque is beautiful!
The tile mosaics that cover the entire building are incredible.
Afterwards, walk along the grounds and enjoy the city and head towards the Haggia Sophia. I was surprised at how clean this huge city is.
On your way you will past the street vendors selling corn on the cob or watermelons.
Inside the Haggia Sophia you will also be required to wear scarves, dresses or pants. This used to be a cathedral, so it has the feel of one as you are allowed to walk around the second floor.
The first floor is for worshipers. It was very fascinating…and very hot inside!
After the Haggia Sophia, head underground to see the cisterns. These caverns were created to store water that was brought into the city from roman aqueducts as there are no local wells or ways to get water within the city walls. They light up different areas of the cisterns and have rotating statues placed throughout.
Have your guide take you to a Turkish Feast which was really fun getting to eat like the locals.
After lunch, head over to the Grand Bazaar which has over 4,000 shops that are spread across 61 covered streets in a maze of alleys. We didn't even see a 1/10 of what is there! The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world and you can find anything there. My best tip: bring American dollars. We would have gotten a MUCH better deal had we used our US dollars instead of Euros. They will take credit cards but really was cash....from America.
My favorite shop was a spice store. Cumin, pomegranate herbal tea and chicken spices were some of my favorite. You will also have a chance to try their Turkish Delight which is similar to a flavored gummy candy.
After a long and hot day of exploring, be sure to get back to your cruise ship on time!