Next stop: Turkey

I made it to Europe! The first time I'd left Asia in over two years, and then went right back again - to the Asia side of Istanbul - for dinner. After 5 days in Istanbul, I traveled south to Ephesus, famous for its ancient Greek/ Roman ruins and then to Bodrum, a town on the southern coast before heading to the Greek islands.

Turkey

Istanbul

Spring tulips in bloom

 According to the Turks, the tulips that Holland is famous for originally came from Turkey.

"The History of Tulip from Turkey to Holland:" http://www.kokachi.com/tulip.html

Hagia Sophia: formerly an orthodox church, now a mosque

Sultanahmet aka Blue Mosque

Inside the mosque

All women were required to wear headscarves which were provided at the entrance. The mosque is closed during prayer time but I made it just in time to get a couple minutes inside. During prayer time, outside, I could hear the call to prayer echo between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque which are only 1km from each other.

Basilica Cistern

Ferry on the Bosphorus

Back to Asia again a couple days later, this time by accident, when I took the wrong ferry.

Ephesus

View of Selçuk, the nearby town, on our walk to Ephesus

Roman baths

Latrines: where people used to do their business
Better than squat toilets in Thailand?

Amphitheater

Şirince, wine village

Wares at the local market

Bodrum

The port

Buildings by the sea
I'm not sure who lives here but they must get wet!

There's no food photos in this one because there are so many they'll be in a separate blog post just for food.

Next: Island hopping to Greece!