On the final day in Istanbul, Turkey, the Gators started their morning drinking coffee and walking along the coast in Bebek, Istanbul,<https://istanbultourstudio.com/things-to-do/bebek> a neighborhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. The neighborhood is located on Bebek Bay on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. Once caffeinated, the team headed back to the TVF 50th Anniversary Sport Hall<https://tvf.org.tr/> where they played their final match in Turkey against the Team Shining Stars. After playing four sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-17, 17-25), the Gators ate lunch before heading to the Grand Bazaar, which is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. The area includes 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. The team also went to the heart of Istanbul’s historical peninsula, where the Hippodrome of Constantinople<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_of_Constantinople> and two historical and religious buildings, the Blue Mosque<https://www.britannica.com/topic/Blue-Mosque-Istanbul-Turkey> and the Hagia Sophia<https://www.ayasofyacamii.gov.tr/en>, are located. The Gators ended their final night in Istanbul with dinner at the Baran Ottoman Kitchen Restaurant<https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/236935591/baran-ottoman-restaurant/>, where they enjoyed various meats, breads, stuffed peppers, rice, vegetables and baklava for dessert.
Up Next: Florida has a travel day tomorrow, May 22, flying into Zagreb, Croatia<https://www.britannica.com/place/Zagreb>. After sightseeing for a few hours, the team will take a bus to Maribor, Slavonia<https://www.britannica.com/place/Maribor>, where the Gators will stay from May 22-25.
