Day 78: Istanbul, September 17th.

Woke around 10 feeling a lil hungover. Went downstairs and managed to catch the breakfast. I ate with Celine. It was around 12:30 when I left the hostel. I noticed some stomach cramps. Oh no…

I walked up the route to the mosques, reading the plaques about the monuments on the way. I took a look at the courtyard of the blue mosque. There were big queues for everything, so I resolved to get a metro to the Asian side. I walked 10 mins to the station but had no travel card and it wasn’t accepting cash. Instead I wondered back over to the mosques and spent 10 mins buying a travel card from the machines there.

Eventually I got it. By now I couldn’t be bothered to go to Asia, and my stomach cramps were persuading me to use the WC outside the blue mosque. On the way I passed something being filmed in the walkway. There were cameras and people dressed up in military costumes.

 After using the mosque bathroom for a second time, I decided to just wait in the queue and go in. the queue moved fast and soon I was inside the building. It was, of course, magnificent. Beyond words, though full of people. I picked up some literature on how the true message of Jesus relates to Islam, and perused it as I sat on the mosque carpet. On the way out I met an Australian as I was putting my shoes on. You meet people everywhere.

After that I queued up for the basilica. I had a guy tell me I looked American/Canadian/Australian, then try to sell me carpets, bags, and lastly, hair plugs!

The basilica cistern was cool – a huge underground space full of pillars and walkways over the water, lit up with colourful, spooky lights. There was art in the water too, and medusa heads at the bottom of some of the pillars. After I left there my stomach sent me back to the hostel. I then slept for three hours.

Around 19:30 I awoke. I chatted to some of the peeps in my room for a while and took some Imodium and Ibuprofen which helped. By 21:00 I was ready to go downstairs and have a couple of pints with the others. At 11:30 a bunch of us, including a new guy from Guernsey (Alex) went to a restaurant and I got some decent lamb kofte. Home at 1:00. Slept deep.

Video of this day