Istanbul and Ephesus, Turkey

Last month, we had the great opportunity to visit Turkey. We enjoyed a couple of days in Istanbul and one very memorable day in Ephesus. The two places were very different, and gave us a taste of Turkey.

The Blue Mosque was the first place we visited in Turkey. It is a large Muslim Mosque surrounded by six very slender minarets. After centuries, the intricate tiles are still brilliant in their colors. Soon, after leaving the mosque, the calls to prayer sounded from the minarets throughout the city. It was very surreal and a moving experience.


We also visited, Topkapi Palace. The palace of the Sultans for hundreds of years. We enjoyed learning about Turkey's past and seeing how the Sultans used to live. We walked through rooms full of armor, jewels, royal clothing and in one word, WOW!

Each of the days in Turkey, we were able to visit a bazaar and walk the streets of the old city. It seemed that every street had a Turkish bath and venders selling Turkish Delights, a sort of honey and nuts chewy candy. We pleasantly tried all flavors and found it interesting to bargain with the street vendors at the bazaar. We went away with some great buys and treasures to remember our trip.

In Ephesus we started our visit at the ancient city ruins. We were able to walk down Curetes Street, which is known as the Marble Road, through Hercules' gate. We stopped to take a picture of our feet in front of one of the shops. In the ground at our feet you could still see the Christian symbols, recognizing the businesses owned by christian proprietors. We ended our visit to Ephesus at the theater where The Apostle Paul preached and lived for 2 years or more. This was one of our favorite places.

On our way home from Ephesus we visited a carpet factory and watched the ladies follow detailed drawings, tying the tiny knots that would make up the silk or wool carpet before them on the looms. Then, we were treated to apple juice and a carpet show. They even made a carpet fly!!!!