Cows, Monkeys, and Feces...Oh My!

India is a tepid cesspool of humanity where absolutely nothing makes any sense whatsoever. There are normal toilets, yet  no toilet paper; cows roaming the streets, eating from dumpsters, yet millions of people go starving; it is not just nine hours ahead of EST back home but an intriguing nine and a half; a place with a fierce hatred for their neighbor Pakistan yet with a fun little choreographed border closing ceremony, complete with handshakes and all. Shit, cow, dog, and/or human, lines the sometimes paved, sometimes pebbled, all the time dirty," sidewalks." In a matter of hours, your nostrils are treated to a cocktail of smog, engine fumes, and curries. Beggars tug at your clothes. Random altars are encountered dedicated to a Ganesha (an elephant-person hybrid), a Hanuman (a monkey-person hybrid) or another of the thousand-plus Hindu gods, with puja (an offering typically of food) set before it. Sadhus (Hindu mystics...aka homeless guys) roam the streets in their brightly orange cloth. Children ask you for money, monkeys jump from electrical poles, and svelte dogs prowl the alleyways, scrounging for whatever scraps they can find, whatever the tens of thousands of homeless people didn't get to. Shopkeepers constantly harass you for their "good price" goods while suspiciously friendly english speaking "students" want to help you along. "Tourist information" kiosks seem to be nothing more than tourist scams, even the most official looking offices. Taxi drivers, auto rickshaws and bicycle rickshaws, the caste system of the transportation world, desperately want to take us somewhere (typically, straight to one of these upstanding "tourist information" offices they happen to know about!). Indians gawk at you as you walk down the road, some sneaking pictures, while the more audacious asking to take a picture with you, then greatly desiring to shake your hand afterwards, leading to the obvious application of yet more hand sanitizer.

Welcome to India, the world's largest democracy, the birthplace of the Buddha, the land of the Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, the home of the Dalai Lama, and the second most populous country on the planet. In short, it is, for all practical purposes, a cluster f!@#... and we adore it immensely!

After 36 hours of sleeplessness, three plane rides including a layover in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, we finally landed in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 20, at 5:00 a.m. and promptly made our way to the train station, hoping to evade the chaos that is Delhi before sunrise. Unfortunately, we underestimated how truly crazy this place really is! After making our way to the train station, red-eyed and semi-conscious from the overnight flight(s), we amateurly succumbed to the touts outside the train station who were trying to "help" us along, taking us to "official" agencies that were going to book our fare for us northwards to Amritsar.

We were on our own, without a map, without any sleep, and without a clue in the world as to where we were or how to get to where we were going. The sun was now up and soon the streets would be mobbed. We went through the run-around that apparently is the travel system of India and, after three hours of deliberations about our next steps, we finally settled on a flight to Amritsar and train tickets to and from our next two destinations for the next ten days before meeting up with Kaitlyn's parents on November 1st in Delhi. We then walked a few blocks around the area, soon realizing that we were hungry. "Here goes nothing," I thought to myself, bracing for my first Indian meal for the next month. We found a little hole in the wall place with four items on the menu (which in hindsight, probably wasn't the wisest of choices for our first Indian meal!) and buckled down for the adventure ahead. As it turns out, whatever it was, really wasn't that bad and, 24 hours later, really wasn't too bad on our stomachs either!

We headed back to the airport for our 7:00 p.m. flight, exhausted from the unanticipated jaunt into Delhi and subsequent extra hours of forced consciousness.

Amritsar
This is the home of the Sikhs, "those guys with the turbans," and the centerpiece of the Punjab state of India. We decided to start our Indian escapade here, a place where we expected it to be a little more subdued, to ease into our host nation for the next month. What we got was a somewhat mixed bag. The craziness and plight surrounding us, rough to stomach even by our well-traveled standards, was, according to some other travelers we met, actually far more pleasant than other areas of India we will soon be looking forward to visiting! Now, in hindsight, having returned to Delhi, we must agree with that assessment! Amritsar, for whatever reason, seemed to lack a real tourist presence. Despite it being home to one of the most recognizable symbols of India, the Golden Temple, white people were rare to come across.

In between taking part in several photo shoots (though far less than our new paler British friend Laura), and enjoying three meals at what we perceived to be the safest option in town, Kaitlyn and I spent most of our two days in Amritsar inside the beautiful Golden Temple complex, a wondrously peaceful refuge from the world around it.

Built in the center of an artificial lake, the Golden Temple is at the heart of the Sikh faith. Before entering, our shoes and socks had to be removed and we were each given a head covering to wear while inside the complex. Sikh guardsmen, despite their imposing presence with large turbans, swords, and scowls, actually turned out to be some of the friendliest people we have met, eager to help answer any questions we had and proud to welcome us into their beautiful temple. Having been to several religious holy sites on our trip, I must say that the Golden Temple was by far the most welcoming to outsiders and even to locals, a testament to the Sikh faith.

The doors to the complex remain open 24 hours a day, as homeless people lined the far walkways, given a refuge for the evening. Free food and drink are also provided to any and all visitors to the complex as well as community lodging to both tourists and pilgrims alike. The temple itself was amazing, a sight we will always remember and a place I had always wanted to see. But perhaps more than anything, we will take with us just how amazingly welcoming the Sikhs were, how friendly  and calm and genuine their believers were. We will remember an old man, clutching onto a cheaply framed photo of the Golden Temple, admiring it from every angle. This was his new prized possession, a souvenir he will take back with him to whatever village he was from, as a reminder of his visit to Amritsar, the holiest of holies, and quite possibly, the highlight of his simple and yet long life.

Next, we took a crammed and bumpy ride in the back of a jeep 45 minutes to the border with Pakistan to watch the border closing ceremony, what has become a major tourist draw. I remember how Kaitlyn freaked out having gone through the border of Israel before, justifiably of course, since we hear of so many problems and acts of terrorism in that country. Therefore, I decided to stay mum on how this was possibly an even riskier location for us to be, since the hatred between India and Pakistan is perhaps more intense than any two nations on the planet, not to mention the whole nuclear weapons capabilities they both have. Neglecting to mention any of this to Kaitlyn, we geared up for whatever was going to occur. Our car dropped us off one kilometer before the border where we had to walk with hundreds of Indians to the actual border site. We then had to pass through two Indian security checkpoints before we were fully upon the border. Much to our delight, we were told we were VIPs for the event since we were foreign tourists and were given a front row seat, as close to the actual border as possible. The event itself was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. Take a pep rally, complete with loud speakers blaring your school's fight song and a guy on a microphone trying to get everyone revved up, mix it with a closed off street with two iron-wrought gates, and throw in a bunch of guys with guns running around, goose stepping, taking turns yelling into a microphone while thousands of people cheer on in the stands surrounding the action while the same exact thing is taking place a few meters on the other side of one of the gates, only with far less people in the stands and quite a few more men wearing onesies. It was quite the show, a testament to the nationalism of both countries infused with a bizarrely choreographed bravado. If nothing else, it was definitely worth the trip out there to be able to peer into the other side and get a glimpse into Pakistan.  The sad reality is that the show will likely soon be coming to an end as the tensions between the two nations begin to heat up and the ground that we walked upon will once again be surely off limits.

Mcleod Ganj

Next, we headed to the Indian state of Himichal Pradesh, adjacent to the Himalayas, and the home of the exiled Tibetan government and community, including the Dalai Lama. After taking the local Indian bus, complete with break down, flooded roads, and death defying twists and turns up cliffs, we arrived in one piece around midnight, ready to see a completely different side of India, notably and for the first time, the pleasure of clean air! We awoke the next morning and explored the tiny mountain hamlet around us, crossing paths with the countless saffron-clad Buddhist monks milling about. Every time I saw one wearing round glasses, my heart dropped with the anticipation that it might have just been the Dalai Lama himself, though, of course, it never was. It was our first peak at the Himalayas and Kaitlyn's first delve into the Buddhist world, both beautiful things! We trekked up a hill and saw an amazing waterfall, did some shopping, and explored the temple and Tibetan museum, learning about the plight of the people. It was definitely all a relaxing few days, a breath of fresh air, literally, from the fraction of India we had already come across in our brief stint in the country.
We caught an overnight bus back to Delhi, a really horrific overnight bus (we thought overnight buses were bad in Turkey!), and have now arrived in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world, for a few days before meeting with Kaitlyn's parents in one week, a reunion we both are extremely excited about! Neither of us have gotten sick (yet) and are in a constant state of sensory overload. New Delhi lacks one redeemable quality and is definitely not for the faint of heart. It will definitely be a treat to explore the rest of India with the Bagnatos...and in hotel rooms complete with toilet paper!

Moonpies and Memories

There is a chemical in Turkey called tryptophan, said to make you tired and relaxed after consuming large amounts of the meat. We've all been there before, after chowing down on our Thanksgiving cornucopia of goodness, wanting nothing more than to unbuckle our belts and lay docile...until dessert. In Turkey, there seems to be something in the air that has this same effect. The Turkish call it keyif, the art of quiet relaxation, and it seems to follow us everywhere we go on our journey through their amazing country.


After prying ourselves away from the utter contentment of Istanbul, five days later than planned, we finally hit the road to see what other gems the country had in store. We boarded an overnight bus to Pammukale, explored the geological marvel that lay before us, crystal clear water flowing downwards over the cliffside, the chemical reaction creating stark white shelves, and all set amidst the backdrop of ancient Roman ruins, what was once an ancient spa resort.

Next, we headed west for the day to explore Ephesus, what many say are the best preserved ruins of a Roman city outside of Rome. Having both been to the heart of the empire, we were somewhat reluctant to go out of our way to see even more ruins. At this point in our trip and being too cheap to ever join a guided tour or even splurge on an audio tour, all the ruins we come across seem to be one in the same: old, disheveled rocks that may or may not have been important to someone at some point (thank you Mr. Johns for making 10th grade world history so titillating!) In all actuality however, both Kaitlyn and I were pleasantly surprised at how well preserved Ephesus really was. After paying the once again exorbitant entry fee, we went inside the very impressive theatre, the largest of its kind in all of Turkey built to hold some 60,000 people inside. Next was the city itself with the amazing library at the forefront of the promenade still in its entirety. After two hours of eavesdropping in on some of the English speaking tour guides and dodging the plethora of Chinese tour groups randomly breaking out in song, we had our fill of various marble slabs and decided to call it a day and hop on a bus to the south, ready to relax once more, only this time with the crashing waves of the Mediterranean in our ears.

Fethiye, described as the most beautiful port side in all of Turkey, definitely stole our hearts. We found an amazing pension (or pansiyon as the Turkish call it, aka an "otel" [sp]) right beside the water, and offered 60 Turkish lira ($20 per night for us both)for two nights stay, including breakfast. After an assortment of wild gestures were exchanged between Kaitlyn and the lady in order to translate our offer, our hosts accepted and we settled in to a wonderful room complete with a balcony overlooking the water. The tourist season is quickly coming to an end along the Turkish Riviera, so haggling has been working quite well in our favor as of late. We were the only ones staying in the place and they were happy to have us (who wouldn't be really, I mean come on!).

We went for an amazing stroll along the water's edge and explored the many shops and restaurants inside the city center. We bought our own fish at the market and brought them to a restaurant where they cooked them and provided bread, sauces, and a salad for just 5 lira (about $3). We sat out on our balcony playing UNO and drinking wine and beer into the wee hours of the night. We befriended a stray dog and named him Doily (because Kaitlyn wiped her hands on his back after we fed him some leftovers). We took an eight hour, 12-island cruise in the waters surrounding Fethiye where opulent yachts with their fancy pants owners dock for days on end enjoying the Turkish keyif. We were given a delicious lunch, a stop at two islands whose only residents were a flock of gigantic rabbits, and an otherwise fantastic day for merely 25 lira (about $16) total. And, we made our share of retired British friends as well, since we were the only ones shy of 60 on the entire vessel! Fethiye was amazing, a truly relaxing and enjoyable (and cheap!) place to spend a few days.

Then, before heading directly to our next destination, Olympos, we decided to make a pit stop along the way at a place called Kas. Smaller and geared towards the higher end, it was nice and quaint but couldn't hold a candle to our beloved Fethiye.

The bus ride along this stretch of the coast has to be one of the most beautiful rides in the world. Last year, Kaitlyn and I drove along the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco and were awed by the experience, both the anguish of some of the twists and turns and also the beauty of the coast. However, that drive was nothing compared to the road from Fethiye to Olympos, neither in awe-inspiration or gut-wrenchment from the bus drivers' talking on their cell phones while making nauseating turns along the cliffside. I highly recommend it! In addition, if you pay close enough attention, you may even be able to spot ancient Lycian tombs that are carved directly into the mountain sides, dotting the entire coast.

Finally, we landed in Olympos, a backpacker haven tucked away down side roads, far, far away from the Turkey we had been experiencing. We were driven by dolmus, a big van-type vehicle the thirteen or so kilometers downhill and over dirt roads into the town. Surrounded by pine trees and cliffs on either side, it felt like we were going to go camping in the Smokies rather than to relax along the Mediterranean. Famous for its "treehouses," we once again found us a deal (50 lira for the both of us, including breakfast and dinner!) and soon realized that we were, of course, the only ones staying at this particular place. It was one of the most lush environments we have ever been in, with our room being surrounded by orange, lemon, lime, peach, and pomegranate trees, ducks and chickens milling about, and peppers and squash spewing from the ground. We dropped our bags off, walked around the "town" (one dirt road consisting of numerous other treehouse type dwellings such as our own and two or so tiny convenience stores), quickly realized that it was going to be an interesting couple of days (and thus subsequently purchased some beer and a jug of wine) and headed back to our bungalow to get ready for dinner. At 7:00, we joined our hosts, the father (whose eyes never left the laptop computer sitting before him nor did he ever leave his chair in the four hours since our arrival), the mother (always moving to and fro, cooking the dinner and such), what was likely the son (a teenage boy who helped his mother), and an old man (who looked like the mother and other than one time trying to shake a tree to make a peach fall down stared off into space for most of the time we were there), none of which spoke any English whatsoever. After enjoying our truly home cooked meal in complete silence (other than the various noises emitting from the father's laptop), we were served some tea and one moon pie (yes, that little slice of heaven from our Twinkie days as kids) apiece. "I have a fun idea," I thought to myself as I often have fun ideas, and went to our room to grab our laptop. I then went to Google translate and told the mother how delicious her meal was, showing her the miraculously translated text, much to her utter delight at both the sentiment and technological achievement. I then thought to myself, "Self, you just made her day!" and then her, Kaitlyn and I tried to carry on what may have been the first English to Turkish "convergoogle" ever. It was a hoot, to say the least.

The next day we awoke to embark on an eight kilometer hike through the beach, an adjoining town, and up a mountain to visit Chimera, a bizarre cliffside with various fire spewing holes used by ancient seamen as a navigational aid and worshipped by the Lycian people living in the area. For whatever reason, the cliffside is literally on fire and has been forever. It was definitely pretty cool to see. On our way there, we borrowed (stole) a pomegranate off one of the many trees surrounding the roadside for lunch, yet another fruit to add to the list of lush vegetation in the area (and Kaitlyn's first misdemeanor as an attorney)!

Olympos itself was a very enchanting place. Aside from the omnipresent orchards and chilled out atmosphere, there were also some pretty wild ruins en route from our bungalow to the water's edge. With a river bed running through and into the sea, ancient ruins are both above you and to your side, where you are free to walk in and explore as if it were a ball pit at a Chuckie Cheese. The beach itself was one of the longest and prettiest I have come across on the Mediterranean as well, with cliffs creating a U-shaped beach and an ancient fortress in the hillside. It was really like some mystical land, far off the beaten track, that both time and high-end tourism have, for whatever reason, forgotten.

We were once again served dinner at 7:00 and ate once more in silence before Kaitlyn offered to help wash dishes, then directing me to finish the rinsing portion while she went to cut up a melon we had purchased to share with our new Turkish family for dessert. Both actions drew grand laughter from our hosts, seeing me, the bearded man washing the dishes and taking the orders to do so from the melon carving woman. In some sort of interesting fruit exchange, the mother then offered us two apples as a gesture of gratitude. Upon our departure this morning, she also handed us several un-ripened oranges plucked from the surrounding trees, hugged and kissed Kaitlyn, and made sure we got on the correct dolmus out of town, waving to us as we boarded the minibus. We liked that lady and somehow managed to communicate with one another despite our language and cultural barriers. It was one of those times we'll always remember, eating dinner with that Turkish family and forging a bond with them, that really makes travelling like this such an incredibly special experience.

In Fethiye we were walking around the market and Kaitlyn said to me, "You know, we have to start thinking about what we're going to get from here (meaning Turkey, because we have gotten ourselves a little souvenir from each country as a keepsake)." And I laughed to myself because it's so funny that for the past two and a half months, it's little silly things like that that occupy our thoughts. These are the big decisions we make nowadays along with where to eat and what time we should wake up each morning. The biggest decision I have to make is what bracelet I'm going to get to add to my ever growing collection upon my stinky left arm. We're actually living the dream; we're actually travelling around the world, I actually walked into my office one day and said that I had enough, never to return two weeks later. Oftentimes we'll pause and one of us will say to the other about how incredibly fortunate we are to be able to do this, how lucky we are to be here (wherever "here" is that day) and to be there together. We oftentimes are completely unaware of what day of the week it is nor have any reason to know the time (aside from the timer that goes off on Kaitlyn's watch every day at precisely 2:00 p.m. and of which we don't know how to get to stop). The point is that we are lucky and so fortunate to have this opportunity, have the means to do it, the time to do it in, and the support of family and friends (and loyal blog readers!) along every step of the way. We are learning so much about the world, about people, and most importantly, about one another, that we will take with us for the rest of our lives. We are incredibly grateful for all your support, in awe of the magnificence and amazingness each day we have on this trip brings us, and hope that one day your dreams, whatever they may be, will have the opportunity to be lived just like ours are.

We are currently sitting on another overnight bus from Antalya (the largest Turkish city on the Mediterranean but really nothing special) to Goreme, the central town in the Cappadocia region of Turkey where we will explore the "fairy chimneys" that dot the landscape. We'll head back to Istanbul on another overnight bus most likely on Saturday evening to get our heads on straight before landing in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Turkey has been an incredible place and we highly recommend a visit here. It's safe, fairly cheap (cheaper than Europe) and full of culture, relaxation, and history to explore. Most people don't speak English but hey, that's what makes it so much fun and good practice for Charades or Guesstures! They really like meat here as well, like they seriously love the stuff. And tea, but only in tiny glasses. So, in summation, if you want to look at some ruins while sipping some tea and chewing on some grilled meat, you should come here!

Thanks again for following along on our adventures. We really do love all your feedback so keep it coming! We will seriously miss Turkey but look forward to all the Asian adventures that are soon to come. The keyif we've enjoyed so much must now come to an end as we embark upon Phase Two of our journey around the world. Our Turkey has been eaten...bring on the Indian desserts!

Hoofing It Halfway Awards

To summarize the trip so far (and help pass the time on the bus!), we've compiled a short list of what we think of all the places we've seen/things we've done, for your reading pleasure. So, without further ado... (Kaitlyn is in red, Joe is in black)

Best Food:
I know you don’t really expect me to choose...they are all so different! Morocco had great tagines and couscous. I loved the foul and babaganoush in Egypt! Tel Aviv had variety, which was refreshing! Turkey has great meat and I love the fresh Mediterranean diet!

Indo-Italian Restaurant in Moshi, Tanzania because it was so random and yet so wonderful

Worst Food:
Lamb. Oh and seafood pizza. They don’t mix well.

Tough call for me, for obvious reasons. I guess I would have to say overall, everywhere in Egypt was pretty bad.

Favorite People:
The Moroccan owners at our hotel in Fez. The French girls I met diving in Dahab and later hosted us at their flat in Amman! The lady at our tree house in Olympos. But I must say, the Germans take the cake as far as fellow travelers go!

Shopkeepers who virtually ignore my presence. I like that.

People That Make Us Hate People:
The guy that sat next to me on the plane from Athens, Greece to Istanbul. The Arab shopkeeper who yelled at me in Jerusalem (and I yelled back. And then cried).

Egyptians, all of them - I constantly felt like I was getting screwed / People that sit outside the bathroom and demand that you pay them money to use it / Shopkeepers that call me their friend and try to initiate conversation

Best Bazaar/Market:
Fez, Morocco hands down! But I will say that it probably has something to do with the fact that it was the first truly walled bizarre we saw, but it is huge and incredible...plus it’s legitimate – even locals shop there!

We sure have seen a lot, from the exotic Marrakech to the oldest and largest Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. However, my favorite, by far, has to be Fes, Morocco, where anything can be had, you can lose yourself down the winding alleyways, and it is the most legitimate, whereas the others are quickly becoming solely tourist traps.

Most Touristy:
Jerusalem

Marrakech, Morocco & Jerusalem, Israel.

Dirtiest:
Without a doubt, Cairo. They literally throw their trash on the ground. If you ask a local where a trash can is, they either look at you confused, point to the ground or offer to take your trash and throw it on the ground for you.

Cairo, Egypt. It is a challenge finding a trash can, which is why I guess everyone there says screw it and just throws it on the street.

Cleanest:
Istanbul – very impressive!

Istanbul / Amman, Jordan / Tel Aviv

Most Modern:
In fairness, Tel Aviv is probably the most truly modern, but I think Istanbul is a close second (our shower had walls, not just a drain)! Plus they deserve props for being such a progressive Muslim society. 

Tel Aviv - it was like San Diego, except for all the Jews everywhere

Most Ass-Backwards:
Egypt.

Luxor, Egypt - nothing about this place made any sense whatsoever

Most Surreal Experience:
1) Making it to the top of Kili. 2) Seeing the pyramids in Egypt. 3) Walking the Via Dolorosa (stations of the cross) in Jerusalem.

Riding a camel through the Pyramids

Lowest Point:
Calling my mom in tears from the train station in Marrakech because I had 50,000 bug bites all over me from bed bugs at our hotel.  

Every single day on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Between Kaitlyn getting sick before we even started to climb, to Snyder's altitude sickness, to the sheer magnitude of the task before us and difficulty in the daily hike, each day was even harder than the last.

Highest Point:
Top of Kilimanjaro, literally and figuratively! And finding out I passed the bar on the streets of Amman!

The elation we felt after making it to the top of Kilimanjaro and how proud we were of each other is a moment I will always remember.

Most Fear-For-My-Life Moment:
Almost getting left by the bus while peeing in the woods in the middle of nowhere in Tanzania.

Crossing the street in Cairo / Being outdoors and not in our hotel room in Tanzania

Most Serene Moment:
Zanzibar. The most beautiful beach I have ever seen! Plus we were there at low season so it wasn’t crowded at all!

Staring up at the stars while sitting around a camp fire with Bedouins singing and dancing around me in Wadi Rum, Jordan

In A Word...        
Morocco: genuine, colorful
Egypt: baksheesh, scam
Tanzania: endearing.
Jordan: surprising. I had no clue what to expect, but it is fairly modern (especially Amman) and so diverse! There is everything from canyoning, floating in the Dead Sea (or going to one of the many spas around), to camping in the desert.
Israel: stuck, clashing
Turkey: the forgotten gem of the Mediterranean!

Morocco: Enchanting
Egypt: Chaos
Tanzania: Smiles
Jordan: Expensive
Israel: Conundrum
Turkey: Meat

Home, Sweet Istanbul

We arrived in Istanbul after a night in the Tel Aviv airport followed by an early morning flight. Backpacks on, we left the airport, navigated the tram - Istanbul's great public transportation system - and headed out in search of a place to stay. After walking around for about two hours we stumbled upon Emirhan Inn Apartments. It appeared to be out of our budget, but getting desperate we asked about prices and availability anyhow and low and behold we found a gem! We have since been staying in a one bedroom apartment for 80 liras a night (a little over $50). We have a little kitchen, a clean, private bathroom and a washing machine!!! Needless to say we are living in luxury, and loving it! Plus it came with three adorable little kittens who we've started feeding (probably much to the owners chagrin). Our kittens aren't exactly tame and cuddly, but cute all the same! When they hear us get home, they start meowing at our back door for food. They come in, eat, and when feeling brave explore a little. If we move towards them too quickly or try to pet them they dart off like a bat out of hell.

Our first day we slept in, which became a recurring theme, and then headed out to explore. After sleeping in, making breakfast, heading out the door to explore the city at around 2:00 p.m., and then sheepishly handing our “rent” money over to the proprietor, optimistically hoping the room was still reservation free for the next day, our place really felt like it was our “home.” Despite the fact that the guy running place must have thought we were out partying every night until late, somehow managing to sleep in through all the construction noise going on around us, we loved our home and our new favorite city, Istanbul, and one day led to another until a whole week flew right by.

It wasn’t all just comfy beds, clean laundry, and kittens galore though. We did manage to get out and explore the magnificence of the city around us. We first headed up to the Hippodrome, an open-air area with a few old columns (one was even from ancient Egypt!) to see, but otherwise appeared to be an area for pedestrians to sit and enjoy the free Wi-Fi. Next we took off our shoes, I covered my arms, legs, head, etc. and headed into the Blue Mosque, a beautiful, old mosque in the heart of the city that is still functioning. It gets its name from all the blue tiles decorating the interior. Just opposite the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia, which has served as both a mosque and a church through the years and the change of empires.

The rest of the week is kind of a blur of sleeping in, cooking dinner and walking all over the complete European side of Istanbul. We took a cruise on the Bosphorus which offered a gorgeous view of the city. Istanbul is peppered with mosques and the many minarets give it a unique skyline, beautiful at sunset. We explored the hubbub of the Grand Bazaar with the many booths of vendors selling what they claim is gold, diamonds, and silk pashminas, though I'm still unsure what is real or not!

On Saturday, we had our own personal tour guides: Muharram and Mehmet. Muharram, a Turkish native, went to grad school with Joe at FSU and his brother Mehmet, who doesn't speak a lick of English, is a detective in Istanbul. Muharram lives in Ankara but came up for the weekend and the two of them spent the day showing us around. They met us at our hotel at noon, questioned us about what we'd done so far and quickly made an itinerary of the remaining best of the best things to see and do in Istanbul. They were truly incredible ushering us around, buying our tickets into the Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace, and giving us an insider’s perspective on the Turkish culture. And, it was great to try some new foods as well, a fish sandwich (with a side of little fish which you may or may not enjoy eating the entirety of), a baked potato topped with various goodies, and a thorough explanation of the many numerous types of kebabs (Turkish people LOVE meat). We ended the day with a hot tea at the water's edge with a beautiful view of the amazing Istanbul skyline.

We have both really loved Istanbul. The weather has been perfect, a taste of fall with the cool mornings and nights and perfect days! There is a crisp breeze from the water and everyone is walking around in their pashminas and boots (I miss cute clothes!!). It has beautiful architecture and enjoying a tea on the edge of the Bosphorus will certainly make anyone fall in love with the city! After multiple days of saying "we'll leave tomorrow," we finally pried ourselves away...at least temporarily!

We took an overnight bus to Pammulkale, a cute little town famous for its hot springs, bizarre white landscape, and Roman ruins. Tomorrow, we will head to Ephesus and then the Mediterranean coast. But our comfort in leaving Istanbul was that we know we'd have to goback. We fly out of Istanbul on October 19th for India!