Sleepy in Istanbul

It's a good thing we have been to this city twice before, or we would feel really guilty for spending most of the time in our hotel room. Between jet lag, a frantic last few weeks at home and a return of Mike's bronchitis we are finding ourselves exhausted and prefer to nap and lounge in our quiet room. We ventured out for a bit yesterday however, and took a nice walk across the Galata Bridge into Beyoglu. We went to the top of Galata Tower (originally built of wood in the year 528) and took in the expansive views of the city. It went on for as far as the eye could see and the density of buildings was incredible. It's mind numbing to try and fathom the history that has happened right under our feet. We then took a stroll along Istiklal Caddesi which is a wide promenade with tiny streets and alleys splintering off. As lunch time came the promenade became packed with people. Where did they all come from? Again, almost as far as the eye could see there was a sea of people. It was a bit overwhelming making our way through the crowds, dodging traffic and touts. And it wasn't long before we decided to return to the refuge of our room. A long afternoon nap gave us the energy for an evening walk along the grounds of the Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque. The night was cool and the streets were quiet. It made the spires and domes of these two ancient buildings appear even more magnificent. We had originally planned to only stay two nights in Istanbul but will spend one more night here to rest up and reset our clocks before the 13 hour overnight bus ride to Marmaris and the boat projects waiting for us there.