The Cisterns and the Sea

Cisterns

Another fabulous day in the European Capital of Culture and Sports (that's a pretty impressive feat if you ask me). Last night, I met a nice Australian guy named Tristan who had plans to visit the Basilica cisterns just a few blocks from our hostel. We had another nice breakfast on the rooftop terrace before visiting the site which can be seen in From Russia with Love and Assassin's Creed (the latter of which will make Micah proud). It was beautiful and cool underground. The cisterns were used to supply water to the palace and other buildings in the area, but were only opened to the public in the 1980s.

Spices

We then strolled along the busy streets (are there any streets in this city that aren't busy?) until we reached the waterfront. Here, we jumped aboard a cruise of the Bosphorus. WOW. The boat took us all the way up to the, surprisingly named Bosphorus Bridge. We were able to see some beautiful houses, cafes, and parks along the waterfront.

Next, a stroll through the Spice Bazaar provided some delicious Turkish treats. This place is a wonderland for people who love desserts (though I'm not sure I know anyone who doesn't like dessert, right?). As we were exiting the jam packed stalls of the bazaar we stumbled upon a most interesting sight.....the set of the upcoming James Bond movie. I searched high and low for the delicious Daniel Craig, but was only able to spot a few stunt cars and camera crew. Still pretty exciting and I was able to quickly snap this photo before the security teams swarming the set spotted me. Everyone was in a bit of a tizzy about the filming, so excitement was in the air. All in all, a wondrous day!