Sightseeing

Istanbul is a beautiful city. It always amazes me that I am able to get on a bus or a ferry and visit two different continents in one day. Sam and I will spend the morning walking among the modern skyscrapers in our neighborhood in Ataşehir and the afternoon sipping a cup of tea next to buildings that are (more than?) twice as old as our country. One of our coworkers said that there's something magical in the air here and I completely agree. It is always sunny and warm but then a breeze wafts in from the sea to cool and revitalize you.

In order to acquaint the new teachers with the city they've taken us on several tours. I missed the first one because of a stupid pointless training they made the Kindergarten teachers go to, but I was able to make it on the next two. Last Monday they picked us up from our school in a service bus and took us to the European side of Istanbul for my first time (since we were picked up at the airport)!

We got off the bus and saw this for the first time. "What is it?" I asked Sam. "That's the Hagia Sophia," "Ohhhhhhh!" Apparently it is closed on Mondays so we didn't get to go in but it is beautiful from the outside!

We did get to go into Topkapi Palace, which had a beautiful garden, beautiful views and the 86 karat Spoonmaker's Diamond (which we were not allowed to take pictures of!:( ).

Me at the lookout to the sea in Topkapi Palace.

Inside the gardens.

After Topkapi they took us to lunch! Lunch had 5 portions and was ENTIRELY too much food, but I loved every bit of it. I had a plate of sauces (hummus,  baba ghannouj, etc.), fried food plate, spicy beef kebab, and baklava. 

The Group at lunch!

 The next stop on our tour was the Blue Mosque.

 This was one of my favorite places we've been so far. The architecture is amazing and being inside of it is absolutely daunting. The pictures do not do the place justice.

Sam and I like panoramas.

Vertical panorama!

Huge light fixture.

Sam and me!

 Next we went to the Basilica Cistern. The entrance is not very exciting and if they hadn't taken us there I would have never known what it was.

Also another one of my favorite places. It's so calm and cool... I could have spent all day in there!

The fish that live in the Cistern. 

One of the Medusa Heads in the back of the Cistern.

The second outing (or third if you're everybody else) they took us on was a booze cruise boat tour down the Bosphorus. This was the best outing we had... Seeing the city by boat would have been fine enough for me, but when they throw in free wine and beer and a buffet I'm more than a little in love.

The little boat we were on.

Our cruising buddies!

Yup, I'm happy.

Just chillin'.

All of the food here is so good! 

Love :)

Pretty :)