Turkey @ the Blue Mosque (part three)

 The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. Just like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice. Besides being still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.

The blue tiles and stained glass are absolutely stunning! A work of art!! 

The Blue Mosque

Outside the mosque

Hot Turkish drink

Chestnuts roasting 

Pomegranates everywhere!!  Fresh squeezed juice!  They are so pretty!

Turkey @ The Market - (Part Two)

 You know I love a market!  Our sweet host took us to her local village market - happens every Wednesday....I LOVED IT!!  Maybe I'm just deprived of good produce here in Accra, but I promise I've never seen such pretty fruits and vegetables in my life!  Such color, so healthy, and oh so cheap!  Fun local market that gave us a true taste of life outside of the big city!  After the market we spent the rest of the day at the mall - funny, I know.....but 8 months of no mall and it just felt good to peruse normal stores and drink lots of Starbucks!

Simit (a hard bread)

Cabbages were bigger than my head

Rose hip jam

Starbucks - I love you!!

Let's Talk Turkey (part one)

Hi!  Good to see you all again!  Sorry about my little delay - I'm back!  I've been to Istanbul and it was such a great trip!  It was very fun to experience a country I had no knowledge of....that meant very little expectation.  Did you know that Turkey is partly in Europe (Istanbul) and the rest of the country is on the continent of Asia?  I did not.  The city of Istanbul has 19 million people - so they have everything and more.  There is not an ounce of ground unnoticed, they use all of their space.  There is so much history and architecture as well.  We stayed in the Village of Zekeriyakoy and learned words like tesekkurler (thank you), lamacun, simit, kebab, doner, mezze (all food), and my favorite word kizmit - which translates 'meant to be'. 

This first Turkey bit is just a random glimpse - the other posts to come are more organized and my favorite pics.  

My two pals and the gal who hosted us all week - she was AMAZING and the trip would not have been the same without her!  Here we are in one of her 'peoples' warehouses of Ikat fabric (through back streets, in the alley, up some stairs) - definitely not in the tourist book.  OH, how I wish I could start a business with this stuff!  

We took a ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asia side

The skyline filled with minarets - panoramic would've been cool!

Iznik Tiles fill the mosques and other buildings

I forget the name of this intimate mosque (same design as large Blue Mosque) but much less tourist traffic...a hidden gem and a great place to view the tiles up close.

Heading into the Egyptian Spice Bazaar

And, of course, Turkish Delight.  I liked this much more than I thought I would - I feel like an expert now I tried so much of it!