Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Sultanahmet, or the Blue Mosque, considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.
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.
The courtyard
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.
The famous Yerebatan Sarnici that i so wanted to see. Even with many tourists, it was eerily silent.
The Hagia Sophia, originally a church & then converted to a mosque after the invasion of the Ottoman turks in 1453.
The friendly shop owner insisted i give it a try haha! I did shave off a very unprofessional looking piece of meat.
Yumms. chicken & beef.
Carpets anyone?
Hard at work weaving.
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.
