Also, one of the plus points of living here is being able to get annual Muzekarts, which are cheap for residents and give us free entry into lots of museums (such as Ephesus, where we originally got them, and including the Hagia Sophia) - so we wanted to make the most of them.
Ayasofya from the outside
The Ayasofya is a spectacular building - first built as a church in the 6th century AD and most famous for its huge dome, it's considered one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture. Following the Ottoman Empire's conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque, and about 80 years ago it was opened as a museum.
Although it did feel like a slight historical anachronism to have a call from IKEA about delivery dates for J's new big-boy-mattress (otherwise known as 'kicking the older child out of the cot to make room for #2') while wandering around a building built 1500 years ago... but maybe that sums up this city that is so ancient in so many ways and so modern in so many other ways!
And then, after we'd had our fill of culture, we headed to a local park that was very close by. I'm fairly sure that the highlight of J's visit was seeing a digger and a lorry in the park.
The wall/buildings that can be seen through the trees are part of the Topkapı Palace Museum and Istanbul Archaeology Museum complex - a trip for another time!
Spring has come!
One of the interesting things about public parks here is that many of them tend to be fairly well developed - as in, lots of paved paths, flower beds, even slightly random electronically controlled water features. Gülhane Park was definitely in the 'developed' category - not really the sort of place for a kick around or game of ultimate frisbee, but still lovely to see some green here!
