After an early night we slept like the dead and even the many competing calls to prayer from nearby mosques did not disturb us. We woke, more by accident than design, just in time for breakfast, raced upstairs to the restaurant and were able to grab some food just before they cleared the buffet. We had been told that the view from the roof restaurant and terrace was amazing and they were not wrong. The Blue Mosque and the Sophia Museum looked spectacular, and so close it seemed that we could touch them and the beautiful, sparkling blue Sea of Marmara just behind. You could quite happily gaze at that view all day and not get bored. The hotel itself is comfortably average, but the view from the top elevates it to one of the very best.

By the time we had moved ourselves from our 'suet' to a normal tiny room and caught up with a few emails we didn't get out until past midday. We strolled back down to the Hippodrome which was busy and bustling with crowds of tourists and sightseers. We decided to walk through the Arts and Crafts exhibition which we had seen opened by dignitaries the night before. We were surprised and delighted by the huge array of crafts which were being demonstrated and offered for sale at the various stalls. We were particularly interested in watching the beaten silverware and men making musical instruments. We admired a beautifully crafted silver dish and tried to talk to the old man who was working on the silver and seriously regretted our lack of Turkish. Maybe we'll come back later. We wandered on, enjoying the huge variety of goods on display There were also fascinating sweets and desserts of all kinds for sale including Turkish Delight and wonderful ice cream.

We paused for a drink at a pavement cafe overlooking the square and tasted apple tea as the coffee seemed very expensive there. Our next stop was the famous Blue Mosque which we had admired from our hotel. It is very imposing from outside and we paused for more photos. As it is a religious building you are required to follow the custom of removing shoes and covering arms. They are very helpful and provide plastic bags for your shoes and shawls for ladies who need them so we were very impressed. Once inside you notice that there is carpet everywhere. As with all mosques there were no pictures of people or animals but the walls and cupola are all decorated with intricate designs and patterns and it is very beautiful. Well worth a visit to this historic building.

We left the Mosque and crossed over towards the nearby Hagia Sophia museum, originally a church and then a mosque before its current incarnation. Again it was truly impressive from a distance as the domes and minarets towered above you. Before going in we decided to indulge in an ice cream to cool us down. This was truly delicious but also a mistake! The hot sun was melting the ice cream faster than we could eat it. The strong breeze was blowing ice cream in my face, but if I turned round it blew my hair in my mouth and ice cream instead. I just didn't have enough hands and made an awful mess. A stall holder sais 'Bon appetit, I see you like our Turkish ice cream!' Yes we were a state and Simon had ice cream down his shirt but it WAS good!

After cleaning up we paid our 25 TL each and entered the museum. Again we thought it was very beautiful and the cupola was particularly impressive. It was interesting to see that the mihrab which shows the direction pointing to Mecca (or East), where Muslims face to pray, was at a slightly different angle to the wall of the church. Obviously this wasn't a consideration when they built the original Christian church!

We went upstairs to the gallery and were fascinated to discover that there were no actual stairs. Instead there was a stone ramp which zigzagged all the way up, very unusual. On the gallery we were able to see the remains of many original mosaics dating back to when the building was a church. Many others around the building had been defaced or destroyed during the mosque period' which is a pity.

After leaving the museum it was definitely time for, what was by now, a very late luch. We made our way back to The Cistern and had a lovely meal of various meze at the Altin Kupa restaurant. Great food and reasonably priced. Although we didn't try ourselves, we enjoyed watching them prepare traditional Testi Kebab in clay pots which they broke in order to serve the meal. It looked great so maybe next time!

Next we made our way up the hill in search of The Grand Bazaar, the largest souk in Europe. We found our way quite easily and were soon exploring the many alleyways and admiring the wonderful array of goods for sale. As with souks and bazaars the world over they are a bit too keen to make a sale and are not really happy to let you browse so we didn't stay too long. We made our way back down to the Hippodrome and back to the Arts and Crafts fair and the siversmith we had seen when we first set out. Yes, the beautifully engraved sweet dish we had coveted was still there and after some very gentle haggling we sealed the deal. A younger man with excellent English was now on the stall and we discovered that they had come from a far off part of Turkey especially for this exhibition which is taking place for Ramadan (Ramazan) which, much to our surprise, starts tomorrow!

Back at the Lady Diana we took our laptops up to the roof to have a sundowner drink at the bar and enjoy the view. Unfortunately the breeze was so strong that sitting outside was not really pleasant so we moved inside. The view is still good from in there, so no complaints. At the call to prayer we could see special lights and a big lighted banner on the Blue Mosque and all around the city, and the call sounded different so we guess they were announcing the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.