It did not disappoint! Though, it was quite dark, so some of the pictures did not turn out very well. This was built under the Emperor Justinian in AD 532. At some point it was closed and forgotten about. It was rediscovered in the 16th century.
There were fish swimming in the water.
Apparently it was built using capitals, columns, and plinths from ruined buildings, which, in my opinion, makes its symmetry and size that much more impressive.Occasionally, there would be a gem, such as this highly decorated column:
Or these Medusa heads:
After the cistern (a highlight!), we went to Topkapi Palace. This is where the sultans lived prior to the Dolmabahce Palace, which we visited earlier in the week.In the courtyard, we thought we saw a van cat and went over to photograph her; however, her eyes were the same color. She didn't seem happy with our intrusion!
Sitting in the shade, relaxing, and planning our next move: 
Since the line to visit the Harem was nonexistent, we started there.
We walked on a stone mosaic path:
A beautiful prison, but a prison nonetheless to the women who spent their lives in the harem:
We saw indian ringneck parakeets flying overhead, their brilliant green framed by the stunning blue sky. The pictures didn't turn out, though! 
There were many different buildings, pavilions, and courtyards in the palace. Many of them were under renovation, but we still had a great time.
And yet more beautiful views:
We then headed over to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, where we started with lunch.
Photographs were not allowed of the exhibits.Back near our hotel, we stopped off at a cafe for drinks and a cheese plate:
The cheese plate ended up being bigger than anticipated, so our appetizer turned into dinner.This cat was stalking us a bit:
We also were watching these birds from our outdoor table:
After wandering about the city a bit more, we returned to our hotel. We had to get up early the next day, so wanted to be sure to get enough sleep.
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