Today it was off for a walk to the Basilica Cistern, the Spice Market and the Galata Bridge and Tower.

The 10,000 sq m Basilica Cistern supported by 336 columns was built in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire. Water was supplied to the cistern from the Belgrade woods, 19km north of the city, via aquaducts built by the Justinians. Located near the Topkapi Palace it met the water needs of the palace and other residents living in the area and was used through to the 15th century when the Ottomans preferred the use of tap water rather than 'deadwater'. A number of renovations have occurred since its rediscovery.

Also in the cistern are two sculptures of Medusa.. As we know Medusa had the power to turn people who looked at her into stones. Such sculptures were used in this period to protect important and special places to keep them away from bad omens. In the cistern one of the heads is turned upside down (so people would not turn into stone) and presumably this also applied to the one that was on its side.

Walking down the hill towards the southern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait we called into the Spice Market. Great scents pervaded the market and in addition to the spices there were numerous outlets for Turkish delight, Baclava and many more local sweets. Just outside are stalls selling hardware, live animals, and just about anything else you can think of.

Nearby we had lunch at the Hamdi restaurant overlooking the main square down by the water. Surrounding this area were 4 mosques and when the call to prayer occurred during lunch we could hardly think.. After lunch we walked across the Galata Bridge heading for the Galata Tower. The bridge was thick with people fishing from both sides. They were catching lots of small herring like fish about 100m long. Climbing up the streets on the Asian side of the Bosphorus we finally got to the Galata Tower.

This old majestic tower was built in the 6th during the Byzantine period. It is 61m high with walls 3.75m thick.. There was an elevator which went three quarters of the way up and then the rest was steps. A very narrow walkway allowed us to walk around the outside of the tower and get good views of part of the city.

After a bit more wandering around it was back to main road to catch the tram back to our hotel district.