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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Istanbul, Turkey

I'm taking a break from Observation Tuesday this week to tell you about our trip to Turkey. This may be long. I'm sorry/not sorry.

My brother-in-law happens to be a part-time tour guide in Istanbul. He was just the person to show us around the city. We flew into Istanbul and immediately started our touring. We stopped in part of the old city and got to see one of the original cisterns, ate lunch at Doy Doy, which overlooked the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Myanmar. We also saw the Hagia Sophia, the hippodrome and obelisks and the main underground cistern.
tour guide, obelisk, and hippodrome
lunch at Doy Doy - urfa (not spicy meat on a stick, delish)
 View from lunch
 in the Hagia Sophia

The second day we took a bus, ferry and tram into the old part of the city. We went to the archeology musuem, I got tricked while being served ice cream, saw the Blue Mosque, went to the Grand Bazaar and bought leather jackets, and Spice Bazaar, and had dinner with family!
 view from the ferry
 at the Archeology Museum
At the spice bazaar. 
I bought breakfast spice, fish spice and salad spice.

Skip a few days (Cappadocia, will come tomorrow). We visited the Heybeli Ada, the second largest of the Prices' Island. My husband got doner. We took a carriage ride up to to Halki seminary, the main Greek orthodox seminary in Turkey, which isn't functioning as a school anymore. It's a gorgeous place, fantastic building with great views and beautiful spaces. Then we rented bikes and rode around the island. Then got beer and calamari before heading home. Lovely day.
My husband was so happy with his doner he wanted me to take a picture.
Part of the seminary
Gorgeous light
View.

View on our bike ride. 
 Later this week you'll hear about Cappadocia.

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