A quiet day to day. The plan was to meet up with our friend from the tour and visit the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts then have a look through the Arasta Market in the vicinity of the museum.

The museum was excellent. It had a great collection of old carpets and in particular Kilims and a small collection of prayer rugs. Many of the rugs (all types) came from Sultan burial chambers dating back to the 15th century. There was also a great section on calligraphy and its application demonstrated in many old copies of the Koran. There was furniture including desks and a variety of Koran holders along with some huge silver candlesticks, some up to a metre. Didn't see any candles so can only imagine how high these might have been.

After the museum we walked around the Arasta Market and made some small purchases. We stopped for lunch at a traditional cafe/restaurant with low tables and seating on cushions. Hollow puffy bread (can't remember its name) and Hookah pipes all available. Some years earlier the owners of the restaurant had been doing some digging and unearthed part of an old Constantine palace underneath their restaurant and adjoining ones. To date they have removed over 600 truck loads of sediment and from what we saw of it there is a lot more to go should they wish to continue.

Back out into the market and then off to the rooftop of a local hotel for views of the sea of Marmara. The rest of the afternoon was just wanderiing around. We had dinner that evening in a tourist area near he Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to pack but not until we watched the lights coming on at these two buildings.