Scaling the Ancient City Walls

Walking through the thousands of streets in Istanbul is like a historic maze. Each neighborhood of the city has its own unique feeling and image. The history changes from one street to the next. With Istanbul being the European city of culture for 2010, there is a lot more money going into restoring various sites within the city.
I am hoping that some part of this mosque will be opened by the time I leave as it is one of the most unique buildings in the city.
Yesterday, with the sky indecisive with greyish clouds threatening to shower, the scene was set to visit the a large fortress famous for its dungeons. The Yedikule (seven towers) Fortress started construction around the fifth century. The complex is only one of a many that served as the capital of the Byzatine Empire known back then as none other than Constantinople.
It is interesting that this site, like the Rumeli fortress that I visited ealy in my stay, had no tourists within the stone walls. Just a 20 minute train ride out of the city center, and there isn't any foreigners to be seen.
After trying to see each section of the city, I have gotten a sense of the size of this sprawling metropolis. It is over 700 square miles, that's over twice as big of area as New York City. Oops, what was the topic?.. a saying that many Turks use when their rambling has taken them away from their original idea!
Back at the Yedikule, the stone stairs rose to the tops of the towers to give great views of the Marmara Sea. For those of you who don't know, I am not a fan of either steep stairs, nor heights. Kanber thought this was a hilarious site watching me cling to the sides of the stones, trying not to look at the ground below. This photo was taken without my permission and gives a sense of the time that went into the descent from the high walls.
I did make it down from the fortress walls with no injuries, only to return to the hostel later in the evening to fall down a couple of stairs, twisting my ankle and making me realize I will never be a competitor in any extreme sporting events!