Ignore all those ferries and check out the palace on the hilltop. It's called Topkapi Palace. It's right in the heart of Istanbul, in a district called Sultan Ahmet. They've conveniently located all kinds of lovely historically important or just plain beautiful things in this district, so you find mostly tourists there. This is great if you don't speak Turkish, and trust me, it's not an easy language to pick up. Yes is evet, no is hayir, and hello is merhaba. I had quite a hard time remembering how to say thank you correctly. But I digress.
What with jetlag and the time difference, it took us some time to adjust. Pre-dawn one day found Ava devouring a book called The Black Tulip. It's about a girl who sells herself into slavery in the harem of the Topkapi Palace. So visiting the palace was great fun for her. When we walked through the doorway you see here, I read the sign and told Ava it was the Gate of Felicity. She told me very dramatically that once you pass through the gate, you will never pass through it again. If you belong to the harem, that is. It makes a huge difference to walk through these sorts of landmarks if you can put things into context.
The mosaics were gorgeous. I took this photo because of the variety in one spot.
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