After almost three hours of wandering and wondering, it was time to sit down for a cup of Turkish tea. We chose a small shop tight next to the entrance of our following destination, the Topkapi Palace.

Sitting down in a coffee shop, right next to tourist central, obviously means that tea is not the only thing they will try to serve you. So, after a few minutes of silent bliss, the ever active tour salesman comes to our table, selling a small cruise on the Bosphorus. He would even give us a special discount, because we’d already had some tea. Unlucky for him, our plans were set for the day, no sale. Lucky for us, the cruise was something we had planned and his schedules seemed to fit ours, so we’ll probably be back at his shop later on Saturday, since we forgot to visit the Basilica cistern on Friday.

After the refreshing and warming tea, we set off to conquer yet another historical attraction.