After a very lazy morning of playing and laundry and making breakfast, we finally headed out. I think we are all happy to be back in an Airbnb with space for activities after a week in our tiny hotel room with hotel continental breakfast. We walked to the tram and took it a few stops to Sultanahmet.

Our first stop was to visit the Hagia Sofia. There were QR codes everywhere promising tickets to skip the line, but each was €50 which seemed like some sort of scam. So we waited in line hoping for a better deal. We kept Millie busy by buying her watermelon to snack on and letting her draw in the shade while we waited.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, we got to the front to learn that yes, it is in fact €50 each to enter. We gulped and bought our tickets. After all, we came all this way! But I was still shocked by how much it was.

Before we went in, Millie washed her sticky watermelon juice hands in the beautiful fountain outside.

It was packed and we were shepherded in among huge tour groups. I was grateful for this scarf I packed. It has played so many roles on this trip already: head covering, picnic blanket, toy, etc. (I was happier than I look)

As we got to the second level and the main area I was amazed by the scale of the building. I briefly forgot about the entry price.

Millie desperately wanted to play on the carpet below because she saw kids running and rolling around on it and she was very confused when I told her we weren’t allowed to because we are not Muslim. For the millionth time this trip I attempted to explain what religion is. Nick explained the history of the building, connecting it to the rest of the Roman built things we have seen.

She started getting bored and played the “I need to go potty” card. I took her out to the bathroom and then was denied reentry. We ate some powdery and bland baked goods from a street cart while deciding where to go next.

Our ticket price included the “Hagia Sofia Experience”. I wanted to get my money’s worth so we went to do that. It was a series of very intense projected videos to tell the history of the building. Despite the cheesiness of it (think 2006 History Channel meets an NFL game) I found it interesting. And the sensory overload of giant screens and loud sound effects kept Millie from complaining. Though as we left she did say “why do you always take me to boring stuff?”

Once we were fully experienced, we walked across Sultanahmet Square to the Blue Mosque. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever been in.

Millie was still craving being a kid playing on the rug in a mosque. We noticed other kids were doing it so we let her roam free and roll around. Everyone had to take their shoes off before entering so it felt somewhat clean. We are picking our battles.

We found a spot in the corner to hang out while Nick did his Nick thing (walk around slowly to take it all in). Millie drew the mosque on her drawing tablet and I took a mental census of where all the visitors were from: many tour groups from China, one tour group speaking Russian, lots of Brits, a whole youth soccer team from Mexico, two American families, etc. I thought about what a good spot this would be if I had a foot fetish. Just feet everywhere.

Nick came back and we found ourselves in the time we always find ourselves in: 3:30ish. Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. Too late to do another big stop, too early to head home. We bought some roasted chestnuts and corn outside to bridge our appetites.

We decided to head back to the area where our Airbnb is. We stopped for an early dinner and had a delicious spread of mezze, dürüm (a wrap with delicious meat and tomato in it), and spinach and cheese pide (pizza adjacent).

Millie ordered a turnip juice. We have been trying to teach her to taste everything and not have intense reactions (spitting it out, making a face) if she doesn’t like it. She can just simply say “it’s not my favorite” or “no thank you”. She tasted this juice, paused, and then said “there’s nothing wrong with it but it’s very bitter.” Nick and I both tasted it and it was truly horrible. It was super salty (?) and bitter, like pickled turnip brine. A for effort, sweet girl.

The meal, though delicious, was super expensive. We may have chosen the wrong spot or made the mistake of ordering a beer and this juice. Generally today we have been surprised by the price of things in Istanbul. Probably because we had a very touristy day.

We walked the lively and hilly streets home and put on some more laundry and a movie (Sleeping Beauty).