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Friday, October 25, 2013

travels | turkey & greece 2013 | the greek islands

Here are some snapshots from our time in Greece!
The ruins at Ephesus
Ephesus
Me & the Chief!
The library at Ephesus
A double Turkish coffee (I will never do that again!) and donut in Mykonos
Mykonos!
My mama, sister Elle & friend Kirsten in Mykonos.
Stripe day!
The iconic windmills on Mykonos.
The fragmented pillar of the Temple of Diana near Kusadasi, Turkey
My first time seeing a Wonder of the Ancient World!
I fell in love with the Island of Patmos, where John wrote the book of Revelation.
Not a horrible place to be exiled to, but then again, he probably was able to run
down to the Greek restaurant on the corner and grab some calamari to-go.
My favorite goofballs, Elle & Daniel
The Acropolis as seen from Mars Hill
Overlooking Athens

Thursday, October 24, 2013

travels | turkey & greece 2013 | istanbul

Our tour began in Istanbul. 

There is nothing like that feeling of walking off of a airplane and into a foreign country.  I'm usually exhausted, and excited, and feel very much out of place, nothing is familiar, everything looks and smells different.  The first thing that I noticed was the mosques.  The entire horizon seemed to be made up of pointy towers.  Then, it was the people, everywhere!  Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the world right now, at least, population-wise.  I was surprised at how exciting the city was and how much I enjoyed our time there. 

Street food, the call to prayer blasting from the mosques several times a day, the markets, there was so much to see.  We had a great time catching up with friends, bartering with the locals (not my gift, I leave that to my other family members) and searching the city for a decent cup of coffee. 
Every other store seemed to sell these lanterns.  So many vibrant colors and always hung in clusters.  I couldn't get enough of them!  I wanted to hang them in every room.
My people at the Spice Market! I can't even believe how flattering this photo turned out.
 Istanbul has quite the market for counterfeit fashion.  Part of me was appalled, the other part of me really wanted a fake Louis Vuitton Carryall. Faux Burberry scarves were another hot item, if only I'd been thinking ahead, my Christmas shopping would be done for the year. 
The Blue Mosque.
The Hagia Sophia
The Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
I will always love guard lions | Found at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum
A wonderful cappuccino topped with the best foam I've ever tasted.  The best coffee in town just happened to be a cafe that was attached to our hotel.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

travels | turkey & greece 2013

Istanbul at dusk

Home again and just slightly jet lagged. 

I've spent the past two weeks touring Turkey & Greece with my wonderful family.  We had an amazing time as we sailed through the Mediterranean on boat.  I went diving in Kusadasi, Turkey, swam in the Aegean, ate seafood in Mykonos, Greece, shopped in Istanbul and walked the very same places as Paul the Apostle. 

Stories and photos to come!