The Little Hagia Sophia was my first stop and probably the coolest. I had the entire mosque to myself and it was truly magical to be able to pad across the carpet and stare wide-eyed at every exquisite detail.

The Hagia Sophia museum itself though was incomparably glorious. Though there were throngs of people everywhere, words cannot describe the grandeur of this place.

Across the way stands its counterpart, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. I wasn’t as impressed by this, partially because all my fellow tourists were being completely vexing and lacked respect to those using the mosque for prayer.

After exploring Gulhane Park, I headed to the Spice Bazaar. While not as big as the Grand Bazaar, it had a wie variety of spices I’d never even imagined as well as plenty of Turkish Delight.

A little bit before dusk, I headed towards the Galata Tower, thinking it would be a cool place to watch the sunset. However, I got completely lost; then, when I arrived, I had to wait for about 20 minutes in queue. Nonetheless, the darkening sky was gorgeous, though I wish I’d thought to stay still!