Day 11: Istanbul; Hagia Sofia, Bosporus Cruise

 We started our day at Hagia Sofia, the magnificent Byzantine church which was the largest church and dome in Christendom until the fall of the empire to the Ottomans.  When it was built, people fainted at it's sheer size, and believed that the dome was held up by angels.  The Ottomans made it into a mosque, but surprisingly did not destroy the mosaics that blanket the interior.  Instead, they covered them with plaster.  The plaster is being removed painstakingly.  Hagia Sofia is now a museum, although there is nothing by way of exhibits or explanatory materials. Elements of the building's past as a church and as a mosque are represented. 

As in our previous visits, it was impossible to capture the volume of the space.  

 The view of the Blue Mosque from from a window of Hagia Sofia. 

 Then the Bosporus Cruise, the last official outing of the Road Scholar tour. 

 The Galata Tower, which we would visit a few days later. 

Then it was time for our farewell dinner, and just like that, our tour was over.