Istanbul:
graves at the Little Hagia Sophia
While the previous days were packed with sight-seeing, we used our last day in Istanbul to leisurely stroll through the alleys of the old town. We wandered to the shores of the Sea of Marmara where the locals meet for a glass of apple tea and children shoot with airguns at balloons. We visited the Little Hagia Sophia which was built in the 6th century and served as a model for the slightly younger Hagia Sophia. The church was turned into a mosque at the beginning of the 16th century and sees comparatively few tourists making the visit much more enjoyable. Close-by lies the Kumkapi Fish Market which is a lively place and worth to explore. We ended our walk at the Spice Bazaar which we had visited already on our first day in Istanbul and found especially charming with all the colours and smells of oriental herbs and flavours.
In the evening, we had to leave the city and the airplane took us home to cold, wintery Germany. However, we knew that some day we would come back as 5 days were not nearly enough for grand Istanbul!!
Matt Travels 
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I really enjoyed this look at different aspects of Istanbul, Matthias. I, too, like trips where there is indeed plenty of sightseeing, but then slowed-down moments too when you just observe. I really liked the photo of the graves, and all of the fish market. Great post! 🙂
thanks a lot!! 🙂 I really hope I will make it to Istanbul once again… so many great travel destinations!! 😀
Turkey has never been on my list of destinations… but your photos… I think I need to reconsider…
thank you for your comment!! 🙂 With Istanbul, I have seen only a small part of this country – but I am convinced that it is definitely worth the journey! I imagine Turkey to be very diverse in its culture comparing the metropolitan Istanbul to the rural countryside, for example! I would also love to visit its great landscapes and ancient ruins… yes yes – I will go back there some day!! 🙂
My personal favorite is that of Giraffy’s 🙂