Istanbul

Upon learning that we were going to move to England, I had loads of places to visit on my list. Many were in the UK, quite a few were in Europe. Istanbul, however, was not on my list. In fact, given the poor quality of my memory for geography, it would probably have taken me some time to even find it on a map! Istanbul is where our daughter and her husband and our grandson are making their home right now however, so Scott and I took a long weekend and flew to Turkey to spend some time with them and explore a bit of this interesting city.

The Blue Mosque

Life in Istanbul is a bit different from our Western lives to be sure! The city is ancient, beautiful, and bustling with people from all over the world. Whilst there we enjoyed seeing the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. Sampling Turkish food was definitely fun, but spending time with Zach, Jennie, and little Josiah was the best part of all!

The Basilica Cistern was built in the 6th century. There are some historical records that indicate that 7000 slaves were used in it's construction. It is a really interesting place to visit, if a bit damp and creepy.

Hagia Sophia was first a Greek Orthodox Basilica. Then it was made into a mosque but is now a museum. There have been some calls to return it to a mosque as well as some requests to return it to a Christian Church. For the moment, however, it is a museum where symbols of both religions can be found inside.  

I cannot begin to tell you what all of this is, but suffice it to say that a yummy lunch was enjoyed by all!

The Grand Bazaar
Filled with all sorts of Turkish products from towels to tea sets,  gold jewelry and leather boots to painted lamps, this is a shopper's paradise, although a bit overwhelming at first!