The last one

It had to come sooner or later....

After writing last night's blog we went down through Gulhane Park to the very tip of Europe, to watch the famous republic day fireworks. We had been told that this republic day was extra special because it's the republic of Turkey's 90th birthday, and also it was the grand opening of the the first Europe to Asia railway tunnel. All the public buildings, and many others, were covered in Turkish flag and pictures of Kemal Ataturk. As well as being the father of modern Turkey, Kiwis may be interested to know that he commanded the Turkish forces at Gallipoli.

As we approached, we could see searchlights arcing across the sky, in a lightshow coordinated between the Bosphorus Bridge, and two other points in the harbour. The bridge is 5km away from us but still it was lighting up the whole sky. We had read that the fireworks would start at 7pm so we found a good spot and waited for the fun to start. And waited, and waited. Finally the fireworks got going at 7.55 but wow, did they make up for lost time. The display started with a waterfall of red sparks all along the span of the bridge, followed by the biggest, most intense display I've ever seen, most of them continuing the red and white theme.

In the morning we renewed our acquaintance with the famous blue mosque. This is a functioning mosque, not a museum, so Ann covered her head with a scarf, and we took off our shoes to go inside. The Blue Mosque is a similar shape to the Aya Sofya, but a little smaller, much lighter, and much more photogenic. It's called 'blue' because of the 10,000 priceless Iznic tiles that line the walls.

Next we went down the hill a few hundred metres to look at "the little Aya Sofya", a little church built by the Emperor Justinian and his wife just to get them in the zone for building the big kahuna up the hill. It is now a mosque, so we crept in, shoes in hand. The imam was quite cross that we didn't make a donation, but all we had was a 50 lira note. Embarrassing...

After a sit down and a cuppa, we were off to the Istanbul Archeology Museum, where they have put all the portable loot from the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires. It also has a huge amount of Babylonian-type remains, from enormous statues of gods, down to the world's first recorded love poem, pressed into a clay tablet with the end of a reed. But most clay tablets they found were business letters, so I guess the world hasn't changed.

This sad Roman lady is carved on the side of a burial chamber.

And a mosaic museum

Determined to finish the holiday on a roll, the Basilica Cistern was next. Another relic of Byzantine times, this was built as water storage for the city. Having a secure water supply was as important as having a city wall or an army, so they didn't compromise. The vaulted roof of the cistern is held up by 336 stone columns salvaged from other buildings. As with so much we've seen on this holiday, it would be a remarkable achievement in modern times, but the Romans got there first.

So now we are at the airport, waiting for our flight back to Auckland, and thinking back on this amazing trip.

Thanks for reading.