November 4, 2009

east & west

Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire.

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Sultanahmet, or the Blue Mosque, considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

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Outside the mosque, where followers wash their hands & feet before going in. I was humbled by this, because it was less than 10 degrees, and they gamely removed their thick jackets, washing with the icy cold water.

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The courtyard

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One of the cool ppl on this flight... it was just pure fun for 6 days, the crew were hilarious & we had such a good time that i was sorry to come home. Almost.

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The famous Yerebatan Sarnici that i so wanted to see. Even with many tourists, it was eerily silent.

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The Hagia Sophia, originally a church & then converted to a mosque after the invasion of the Ottoman turks in 1453.

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The friendly shop owner insisted i give it a try haha! I did shave off a very unprofessional looking piece of meat.

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Yumms. chicken & beef.

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Carpets anyone?

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Hard at work weaving.

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The Bosphorus bridge linking Europe on one side & Asia on the other. Totally amazing.. Words & photos fail to capture the emotions you feel straddling 2 continents & being in the cultural melting pot of it all.

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