May 19 - Istanbul: Dreaming in Tile

A day of dreamy tiles and textures, starting at the Topkapi Palace. These photos were taken in the Harem, the living quarters of the Sultan, his wives, children, and mother.







The Queen's quarters. I could imagine sprawling on that couch.



Random room in the Harem.



The Prince's quarters.





The most amazing dome. It's looks like a piece of fine jewelry I should be wearing around my wrist.





Another stunning room in the Harem.







My favorite blue tile.



Dome in the Sultan's chamber.





The Sultan's bath.



Random bits and pieces.







Exterior of the Harem.







Lunch in the upstairs of Ortoklar, looking out onto the street below. Delicious corba (pronounced chorba) lentil soup. Plus pepper paste for the bread.



Ortaklar pide (Turkish pizza) special with egg and sausage and minced meat. Delicious.



Vegetable pide, also great!



Suleymaniye Mosque









Random video near the Galata Bridge.



Rustem Pasha, my favorite mosque in Istanbul.



Small and quiet and blue.





Two Turkish coffees and cookie dough halva at The Velvet Cafe near the Galata Tower. The halva was crave-able, tasting just like cookie dough you'd sneak if you had time or cared enough to make cookies from scratch. You get to pick the adorable cup that your coffee is served in and they're all winners.



Views from the top of the Galata Tower.









Near the Galata Tower, the BLUE BOY and PINK LADY of street art.





Fishermen on the Galata Bridge as the sun sets. The New Mosque in the background.



The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia from the ferry back from Kadikoy, which is on the Asian side.





And, you guessed it, more Blue Mosque. A recording of the call to prayer after sundown.

May 18 - Istanbul: Blue Sequins and Teal Waters

View from our breakfast room at Hotel Hanedan. Amazing breakfast, beautiful airy sea view to accompany. We looked forward to breakfast every morning.



A tram to the subway to another tram gets you from Sultanahmet to the Chora Church, now a museum.



The ceilings are beautiful even where the mosaic has peeled off.



I've seen a lot of Jesus depictions in churches, but this one was perhaps the most striking one so far.



The face of the woman kneeling at his feet was also stunning.





Maybe I liked this Jesus so much because the blue tiles that made up his clothing had a distinct shine to them. It isn't often that you see Jesus so... bedazzled.



A couple videos to hammer our visit to the Chora Church home. These are the first videos I've ever taken, so forgive the terrible camera work. I was experimenting.





In another hallway, these two ladies were eery. The missing tiles from their faces give them an Alfred Gorey feel.



Outside the church, on the way back to the tram, we climbed the city walls.



Back at Eminonu, right next to the Galata Bridge, festive boats grill fish for the most cost effective fish sandwiches.



They are delicious on the fresh bread. Buy the cup of red juice pickles, it's worth it. 2 fish sandwiches + pickle cup = 14 TL.



Afterwards, have a glass of Efes at any restaurant under the Galata Bridge and watch the boats go by. Is Efes particularly good? No. But it's Turkish and you are in Turkey and it's just fine. Drink it.



Take a Bosphorous Cruise. It's an absolute MUST. Buy tickets through the Sehir Hatlari booth near the Eminonu side of the Galata Bridge. We took the short cruise which didn't go all the way up to the Black Sea, but 2 1/2 hours up and down the Bosphorus was plenty of time and water for us. It cost 10 TTL (Turkish lira) per person. At the time of our trip, $1 = just over 2 TL. So, yeah, the Short Bosphorus Cruise is a great value.

You'll see European influenced palaces like Dolmabahce...



...random castles...



...and gorgeous mosques like this one in Ortakoy...



Just a gorgeous way to spend an afternoon. The water so clean and teal.



Baklava, pistachio something or other, and that bird nest cashew thing was unexpectedly tasty.



Dinner at Ziya Baba. Delicious grilled meat. Ate outside in a quiet neighborhood with a couple of cute cats begging at our feet. It's strange, and I never got used to the begging cats on our trip. 2 kebab plates + tip = 31 TL.





Raki on a rooftop bar.



No, this is not photoshopped. The Istanbul rooftops really are this colorful.



Seagulls flying around the Blue Mosque was hypnotic.

May 17 - Istanbul: Mosques in the Evening

Hubs and I were fortunate to take another journey across the globe for a little over two weeks to Istanbul and Greece. I'm a little strapped for time right now and I don't want blogging about our trip to get dragged out for months or completely overwhelm me, so I'm going to keep the blogs as short and sweet. Which is no small task for a rambler like myself, but I will try my best for my own sake. Let's all just take a deep breath and pretend this is a Tumblr.

The Blue Mosque is just one of those breathtaking landmarks that compels you to photograph it every time you walk past, as though you're seeing it again for the first time. Although, this was actually the first time we saw  it.



And a 180 degree turn away to Hagia Sophia.



Dinner at Sehzade Cag Kebap, where the meat is rotated horizontally on the spit instead of vertically.







Near Eminonou, kids roller blading (or trying to) in front of the New Mosque.



Heard our first call to prayer and men came to wash themselves in the faucets outside of the mosque.



Just had to take another photo on our way back to the hotel.



View from our hotel of the Bosphorus/Marmara Sea.