One last shot of the Blue Mosque before we leave the Hippodrome area.

My friend Leon told me that when he was in high school in Turkey in 1965, there was a kid who sold round bread (simit) that he carried in a board perched on top of his head.  So when I saw this, I figured it was the kid all grown up.  And sure enough, Leon agreed that it's the very same person, and he looks really good for his age.  Isn't life full of strange coincidences?

Scott talks to Joan and Walter while Robin takes a break on the curb.

While Mete separates one last set of tickets for us.

Between 1459 and 1465, shortly after his conquest of Constantinople, Mehmet II built Topkapi Palace as his principal residence.

  This way, Trafalgar.

Just look at those poor people sitting over there under that tree.  Do they look pooped to you?  They sure look pooped to me.  Hey, wait a minute ... that's not TRAFALGAR, is it?  What a bunch of weenies.

In 1924 Topkapi Palace was opened to the public as a museum.

But it still retains many of its royal trappings.

I sneaked a picture of some porcelain bowls.  But I didn't attempt to get a picture of the famous Topkapi dagger.  It was here though -- in the Treasury.  The description on the wall beside the dagger even mentioned the movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058672/

And there's a photo of the dagger that I found on the internet.  Nice, huh?  Now I just wonder -- is this the real one or that copy from the movie?

Rather than a single building, Topkapi Palace was conceived as a series of pavilions contained by four enormous courtyards, a stone version of the tented encampments from which the nomadic Ottomans had emerged.  Beautiful buildings abounded.

One after another.

I walked out onto a small plaza overlooking the Bosphorus.

Nice view.

Very nice view.

Shipping on the Bosphorus is active 24 hours a day, I think.  There are ships going every which way.

But back at the palace, all is tranquil.

This is called the "Baghdad Pavilion."  In 1639 Murat IV built this pavilion to celebrate his capture of Baghdad. 

It has exquisite blue and white tilework.

Really.  Exquisite.

This is the circumcision pavilion.  Ouch.

And this is the royal harem.

We say goodbye to Topkapi Palace.  This way, Trafalgar.