istanbul, not constantinople
after those fabulous days in cappadocia, we flew back across turkey to istanbul. our first morning there was was really rainy, but we walked through the wet from our hostel to topkapi palace, which was extremely crowded but immensely beautiful and interesting to visit. we learned about the ottoman empire and marveled at the gorgeous tilework, the ornate patterns and textures, and the overall opulence. ^^ lines to get into each building! we think everyone hopped at the idea of visiting somewhere that is mostly indoors due to the rain! ^^ ^^ stormy view down the bosporus from the palace ^^ ^^ raindrops on tulips ^^ ^^ can you believe all these colors and patterns?! ^^ ^^ more rainy day views of the city ^^ ^^ clearly i couldn’t get over all the tile and calligraphy! ^^ we had a super delicious traditional turkish lunch before we headed to see the hagia sophia and the blue mosque. we loved the the food and the little neighborhood we came across! the hagia sophia is so fa