After a cold and rainy visit in Poland, the Diemers make the most out of a long layover in Istanbul. Initially planning on taking the free bus tour of the city, a series of delayed flights and jetlag-influenced decisions had them missing out on the complimentary tour by 5 minutes. Rats.

How we spent our 12-hours in Istanbul

When life hands you lemons, the only thing to do is make martinis with lemon twists. Sucking it up, the Diemers put their sleep deprived minds at work to figure out public transportation to the city and salvage the day.

first stop: mosques

Conducting their own tour of the city, the first stop is of course the Blue Mosque. And then the next mosque. And then the next. There are a lot of mosques in Istanbul.

There were more mosques in Istanbul than we could ever have imagined, so to list those out here would be longwinded. Check out a concise list of The Most Beautiful Mosques in Istanbul.

pro tip

Ladies, be sure to carry a scarf or covering with you to be able to tour the mosques!

Basilica Cistern

Next, Tim demands a tour of The Basilica Cistern. Allison makes it quite clear that she has no interest in going underground to a “big water tank I don't even know what it is”. In an amazing turn of events, it's the highlight of the trip in Istanbul.

These are ancient cisterns (noun: a tank for storing water, especially one supplying taps or as part of a flushing toilet) below Istanbul. The lines are long to visit, but completely worth it in our book.

Spice Market

Finally, a tour of the Istanbul Spice Market is in order. Sellers and shop owners frown openly at the hordes of tourists walking through the spice market, shoving go pros toward all the colorful goods but clearly not interested in purchasing anything.

It's an Instagram goldmine.