Galata Tower

Today, for the first time since we got back from Greece, we ventured past Taksim. We went to Galata Tower to go up to the observation balcony. I really like the area there, all pedestrian traffic. The view was amazing! You can see all of the bridges, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, and many of the mosques.

Hagia Sophia on the right and Blue Mosque on the left. ^

On the way home we stopped in a office supplies shop I had seen the other day on Iştiklal. I went in to get a pair of scissors and browsed through their selection of Moleskine notebooks. I was excited to find an İstanbul City Notebook, something I was looking for before my trip but couldn't find. It's great. It had maps of each area of the city; a metro map; conversions for everything from temperature to measurements; and spaces to record restaurants, bars, shops and people you meet.

I hadn't had lunch and didn't feel like eating out, so we came back to the apartment afterwards and had pasta (with butter, not sauce). If we can get up on time we're going to either take a boat tour of the Bosphorus or go to the Prince's Islands.