Being back in Istanbul, I once again fell in love with the blue skies overhead. It is getting harder and harder to find a big metropolitan city this crowded with this kind of clear sky. :) 

Some snaps of the view along our way passing the Sultan Mehmet Bridge or the Second Bosphorus Bridge that connects Europe and Asia's Istanbul, while heading to have our lunch in a restaurant under the bridge. :D:D Yes, under the bridge, with the Bosphorus Straits right next to us, how cool does that sound? Haha  

Due to the super loaded traffic, and no parking lot for the bus down there, we got off from the bus on the side of the road, once we reached the end of the bridge, and walked down to the restaurant. Sirena restaurant is a lovely place to have lunch, and I'm sure it would be even lovelier to have a dinner here, with the Bosphorus Strait on your side and the illuminating lights of the Istanbul's cityscape. Ah, and I guess it could be a very romantic place to have a candle-light date here too. :) The main menu is the fresh seafood dishes, and the food tastes just as satisfying as the view. :d

Some views from the second floor of the restaurant :)

Having our stomaches filled with great food and our souls with great scenery, we're back in track, this time for shopping! And the very first place we stopped by to spend those money we had left before we leave Turkey was Spice Bazaar. Spice Bazaar can be reached in several minutes on foot from Sirena restaurant. As it is called, Spice Bazaar is known to be the center market of spices and Turkish Delight in Istanbul. The most famous spices sold here is the Iranian Saffron, or as they said, the most expensive spices in the world, which is said to contain tons of good nutrition that is very good for our health. You can also find a great variety of Turkish Delight here, with a huge range of flavors, quality, packaging, and prices. 

One of the specialties of Istanbul is the Pomegranate Pistachio Turkish Delight. The Turkish Delight in Turkey varies among the cities, and this one can only be found in Istanbul. It is made of honey with pomegranate, there comes the red color, filled and covered with pistachio in and out. Just by the look, it looks really tempting, right? I can ensure you, it tastes really d*mn good! The best Turkish Delight ever! 

p.s: With the great taste, comes the great price too. This high-grade (read: made of honey) Turkish Delight is quite costly in term of price, (they sell the second grade too, with cheaper price, but lower quality, made of sugar) but I'm pretty sure the taste does worth the money paid. I regretted a lot not buying this one home, to share with my families and friends the exquisite taste, since I had spent most of my money in Cappadocia and I was left with barely any money in my pocket, I could only look away from it with big disappointment. It simply costs too much for me. 

So, just a tip for you guys, if you ever plan to visit Turkey and especially Istanbul, make sure you spare some money to buy this Turkish Delight. It is really the best! You won't regret it! Haha You probably will get to taste a lot of various kinds of Turkish Delight in other cities, which are delicious too by the way, with cheaper price and you would think, "I should buy a lot, where else would I find these? It might be more expensive in Istanbul." Hold that thought! Wait till you reach Istanbul, and taste this one, you will definitely change your mind. You would not see the other Turkish Delight the same way anymore XD *finger-crossed

With no intention to buy anything inside, and to avoid the crowd, I went outside to look around for some good spots to snap pictures. 

As I've ever mentioned before in the day 1 post, we were supposed to visit the Blue Mosque on the first day, but when we got there, it was too late, and they had been closed for shalat time. Thankfully, we got the second chance to visit this grand mosque during our second meetup with Istanbul.  

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is famous for its beautifully hand-painted blue tiles all over the interior walls of the mosque, therefore comes the name Blue Mosque. Inside the majestic hall, there are separate areas for people to pray in solemnity and for visitors to admire the magnificent structure of the mosque. Visitors, especially ladies, should wear special dress before entering the mosque, covering every part of our body including our hair, and put off our shoes as one of the rules.