Talkin Turkey

"If the world was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital." -Napoleon Bonaparte

This was my first trip to Turkey (even crossed the bridge to Asia for a bit) and taking in some more diverse culture. I had no idea Istanbul is so large, over 20 million people! We stayed for a week, which was a nice amount of the time to get to everything I wanted to see and experience. Armed with a wonderful travel partner, a cute little hotel in the Sultanahment area, and a bunch of Turkish lira, I headed off and found another interesting spot on this world of ours. In a nutshell:

• Best food ever! I could eat for days and feel healthy... pita, hummus, veggies like crazy, seafood. Mmmm.
• There are men everywhere.Men, men, and more men. Women and children are mostly out of sight, at least in the majority of places we walked. The day we went to the Turkish bath, I realized we were finally in the woman's world for the first time.
• The Call to Prayer is layers and layers of different songs coming from multiple loudspeakers in whatever neighborhood you're in. So cool, but perhaps hearing it sung live would be a bit more endearing.
• Apple tea is addicting! Turkish tea is addicting! Amazing coffee, though the official "Turkish coffee" was a bit much with the ground sludge still at the bottom. Intense.
• The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Topkapi Palace were gorgeous and so rich with history. The Basilica Cistern was an underground reservoir , unique and interesting.
• The Turkish people are some of the nicest I've come across in my travels. Friendly, outgoing, funny, wanting to share stories and tea.
• I need to ask more about my family tree... so many people asked if I was Turkish! My face and eyes, so they said?
• Beautiful rugs, tapestries, and scarves. Needless to say, I came home with only 20 lira left!