We recently returned from Istanbul and I have too many pictures not to blog. Istanbul had everything we hoped for; friends, art, good food, and a wonderful vibe.

We headed to Istanbul to see Erin, Andy and Eliza. This is their second year in Turkey and we were well past due. It was great to see good friends and catch up right where we left off. Erin and Andy were great hosts and the first thing they did after we arrived at 5am was to take us out to Turkish breakfast on the Bosphorus. I had no idea what a Turkish breakfast entailed and was surprised when the waiters brought 4 types of cheese, 6 types of bread, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, olives, scramble eggs with cheese and sausage, fried sausage, fried cheese, clotted cream in honey, 3 types of jam, olive oil and roasted red pepper puree. Looking back I’m pretty sure that I lost all my manners and ate like I was 16 again with one hand constantly scooping, dipping or cutting my next bite before properly chewing my current bite. The first breakfast was a clear indicator of what Turkey was going to be like for us a gluttonous feast of food for the belly and eyes.

We spent the first four days of Chuseok in Istanbul with Andy and Erin. Our days were filled with exploring the city and the evenings playing games and drinking Raki with Erin and Andy. It was the perfect kind of vacation.

During our exploration Caitlin and I took a ferry into the heart of Istanbul and enjoyed a cup of tea as we took the sites in, but once we hit the ground we ran the gamut of sites. With Caitlin teaching Art History she wanted to make sure to catch all the details and not miss out on a thing and I’m not one to slow anyone down on vacation. So we put some miles on our shoes and may have missed the memo on taking it easy during vacation but it was well worth it. I’ll post the rest of the pictures later.

Taken from inside a mosque, Caitlin looking out.

We took a short ferry ride into the heart of the city.

The outside of the Mosque Caitlin was in.

Caitlin listening too all the details of the Hagia Sophia. Gotta love that dedication.