The Basilica Cistern

After Hagia Sophia, we walked over to the cistern. There were only four or five people in line, so we didn't have to wait. A local carpet salesman told us that we had to toss a coin into the water and make a wish, then catch a fish for dinner.

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. This one was built in the 6th century on the sight of a no-longer-standing basilica. The cistern provided a water for the Great Palace of Constantinople and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottomans took over. (from wikipedia.com)

We walked down the stairs to find that the cistern was very dark. It took me a while to allow my eyes to adjust. To get a decent picture, I had to put my camera down on the ground (no tripod) and open the shutter for a couple of seconds. Luckily, there were not a lot of people, so I had some freedom to take extra pictures.

Erick and I wanted a picture together, but there wasn't anyone nearby to take it for us. Instead, we took one of each other, and I used my mad photoshop skills to put us together. The funny part was trying to merge a photo taken by someone over six feet tall with a photo taken by someone only five feet tall. The finished result is laughable. And fun.

I took pictures of the Medusa heads for my girls back home who are obsessed with Roman mythology.

Before heading back up to the surface, we sat at a dark cafe and drank fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. Yum! And although we didn't catch a fish, we did toss a coin into the water and make a wish.