We are back!
I am going to have to make several posts to cover our entire trip, or else I might get completely overwhelmed with all the pictures to narrow down. So bare with me, because this girl went crazy taking pictures and it has been hard to pick and choose what pictures to make the cut. Our eyes saw so many beautiful things on this trip and we think you will agree that we did not hold the camera back one bit!
We started our vacation in Istanbul, Turkey and spent 4 sunny days there. AMAZING! It is unlike any other country we have ever been to before, and it left us wanting to come back someday to explore other areas of this fascinating country. Sadly there is never enough time to get to see it all. =( But Josh and I learned so much on this trip and felt so lucky we got to take a sneak peek at a place so rich in history and culture.
Here a few interesting facts that Josh and I were not aware of before our trip to Turkey...
*98% of the people in Turkey are Muslim.
*Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe & Asia.
Thought it would be interesting for those of you who didn't know, and now that you maybe learned a thing or two, lets move on with the pics!....
Day 1
I am going to have to make several posts to cover our entire trip, or else I might get completely overwhelmed with all the pictures to narrow down. So bare with me, because this girl went crazy taking pictures and it has been hard to pick and choose what pictures to make the cut. Our eyes saw so many beautiful things on this trip and we think you will agree that we did not hold the camera back one bit!
We started our vacation in Istanbul, Turkey and spent 4 sunny days there. AMAZING! It is unlike any other country we have ever been to before, and it left us wanting to come back someday to explore other areas of this fascinating country. Sadly there is never enough time to get to see it all. =( But Josh and I learned so much on this trip and felt so lucky we got to take a sneak peek at a place so rich in history and culture.
Here a few interesting facts that Josh and I were not aware of before our trip to Turkey...
*98% of the people in Turkey are Muslim.
*Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe & Asia.
Thought it would be interesting for those of you who didn't know, and now that you maybe learned a thing or two, lets move on with the pics!....
Day 1
 |
| a tiny mosque that we passed everyday to get into town from our hotel |
 |
| Josh getting oriented our first evening in Istanbul...the BEST navigator! =) |
 |
| snapped a pic of a man performing a traditional Turkish dance |
 |
| Dinner our first night |
 |
| popular Turkish dish prepared in a clay pot |
 |
| The Blue Mosque at night...beautiful. |
 |
| getting ready to enter the Blue Mosque. notice I have my shoulders covered along with my long dress to cover my knees. |
 |
| front steps to the Blue Mosque |
 |
| in front of the Blue Mosque |
 |
| had to take our shoes off to enter the Mosque |
 |
| inside the Blue Mosque |
 |
 |
| In front of Hagia Sophia |
 |
| Hagia Sophia: used to be a church, then a Mosque, and now it is a Museum. |
 |
| Turkish Coffee |
 |
| another view of the Blue Mosque |
 |
| underground cistern |
 |
| KEBABS! Our FAVORITE! We felt right at home! |
 |
| Baklava: the best we have EVER had! |
 |
| we ate WAY too many of these on this trip! |
 |
| entering the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world |
 |
| Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent |
 |
| a picture of men washing their feet before entering the Mosque for prayer |
 |
| Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent |
 |
| We happened to be at the Mosque for Jumu'ah, special prayer on Friday's |
 |
| inside the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent |
 |
| yummy fruit on the street everywhere! |
 |
| on our way to the spice market |
 |
| the best lamb kebab we had all trip! |
 |
| YUM! |
 |
| tons and tons of spices |
 |
| fishermen on the Galata bridge |
 |
| view of the European side of Istanbul from the Galata bridge |
 |
| Josh on the Galata bridge |
 |
| Josh smoking the Nargile aka "water pipe"...incase some of you were wondering, it is JUST flavored tobacco (strawberry with very low nicotine content...therefore not addicting) mixed with molasses and dried fruits. It is a social ritual in Turkey that is common to play with a fun game of Backgammon. Josh and I loved i!t & ended our days in Turkey like this! =) |
 |
| learned how to play Backgammon on this trip and now I am obsessed! |
 |
| beautiful sunset in Istanbul |
 |
| Great first day! |
Much more on Istanbul to come!.....
No comments:
Post a Comment