Tip: If you’re doing the Sultanahmet cycle, I suggest starting with the Blue Mosque and working towards Topkapi. For one, the exit from the Blue Mosque is on the Aya Sofya side. You’ll be swimming upstream if you try to get to the Blue Mosque entrance from Aya. If you insist, walk up the Hippodrome.
But more importantly, you’re going to be disappointed by the Blue Mosque if you see Aya first. The Blue Mosque is certainly more impressive outside, but the Aya Sofya is definitely a sight to behold inside. The Blue Mosque seems a bit downtrodden, a bit like a Muslim VFW but without the bowling lanes and subsidized beer. I suppose that is to be expected from a few million visitors a year.
A soggy, rainy day. A good one to spend indoors.
