Al-most. There.

After 14 months abroad I was excited to return home to the states; but anxious, terrified, hesitant, and confused all at the same time. Checking in for a US-bound flight didn't go as smoothly as my previous flights for which I was equally annoyed and thankful. After demanding our passports without so much as a polite greeting, the United employee grilled us on our whereabouts and intentions...

Him: How long have you been out of the U.S.?

Me: 14 months

Him: Where were you before Istanbul?

Me: Umm... South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Jordan, and Egypt.

Him: Have you been to Tel Aviv?

Me: No.

He walks away with my passport and then returns.

Him: Are you sure you haven't been to Tel Aviv?

Me: Yes (Of course I'm sure!—I think I'd remember that!)

Him: furrowed brow

Just then, a light bulb turned on in my head as I realized I had an Israeli stamp from the border crossing between Jordan and Egypt. I explained the stamp and then all was well. Still, what if I had been to Tel Aviv? What would have happened to me? No Thanksgiving dinner?

The flight into Chicago was delayed several hours and as Melissa and I sat in our seats worrying whether or not we would make our connecting flights back home, we concocted an emergency Thanksgiving dinner plan. If we were put up in a hotel for the night we were going to make sure we had the culinary items most important in any Thanksgiving spread: Oreos, Dr. Pepper, some kind of cheese, Chai lattes, etc.

Luckily, Melissa made her connecting flight which had been delayed, as well. I, however, did not. After transferring to the next flight out, which was delayed for mechanical problems; attempting unsuccessfully to hop on stand-by with a separate flight a few hours later; and then returning to the gate in order to wait for the mechanical-problem-plane to show up I finally arrived home at 1:00 am on Thanksgiving day—six hours late. As many problems as I had, poor Andrea had more and ended up staying a night in Frankfurt, Germany. Fourteen months out of the country and we could barely catch a break back into our own states. But, I survived the ordeal and the days, weeks, and months away from home and returned home to my first American meal filled with turkey, mashed potatoes, spinach casserole, and pumpkin pie. Not bad.

Things I noticed immediately upon returning to the U.S.A (before leaving the airport)....

1. Everyone speaks English and it's very distracting. After living among foreign languages so long it was difficult to tune out the conversations around me, especially while still in the airport. Several people were discussing their trips home from college, one girl was crying about the possibility of missing Thanksgiving and spending it alone in the airport but didn't feel her boyfriend was sympathizing enough with the situation, and a family debated whether it would be faster to drive from Chicago rather than wait on the late flight. I wasn't even deliberately eavesdropping!

2. Trash cans. They're everywhere!

3. Toilet paper. It's everywhere!

4. American money doesn't need to be converted in my head.

5. The menus at each restaurant and food stand throughout the airport are in English.

Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is Turkey's largest covered shopping market. With thousands of stores, it's an overwhelmingly exhilarating experience. As the end of our trip neared, we had less time, less money, and less space to purchase everything we wanted but enjoyed the afternoon strolling through the tip of the iceberg.

The ubiquitous evil eye—here and there in Jordan and Egypt, but ALL OVER Turkey!

Turkey has some of the most beautiful lanterns I have ever seen—another reason to return.

Traditional Turkish designs decorate bowls, plates, and tiles everywhere.

Of course, no country visit is complete without a new scarf... or two.

Oh, the jewelry... so unique and so beautiful.

*all photos courtesy of Andrea G.

Turkish Delight

My favorite Turkish delight is not the savory little sweets found throughout the country, but the beautifully rich rugs—particularly those in one man's Istanbul shop. I regret not buying one when I look back at the stunning pictures, but I guess it just gives me another reason to return to the city! Although, it doesn't take much convincing beyond that...

Yum!

Turkey offers a lot of delicious food options and we were thrilled to taste test many of them, but we found ourselves especially loving the following five:

1. Borek

A baked or fried filled pastry made from phyllo. It is often filled with feta cheese, meat, or vegetables. I usually enjoyed the cheese or spinach-filled borek.... yum!

2. Gozleme

A stuffed, hand rolled pastry that is cooked over a griddle. Oftentimes, it is filled with the same ingredients as borek—cheese, vegetables, or meat—but we also enjoyed it with honey and peanut butter... yum!

3. Baklava

Although it looks similar to borek and gozleme, baklava tastes very different. Made from phyllo dough, baklava is sweetened with syrup or honey and frequently coated in pistachios... yum!

4. Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Perhaps it is not a "traditional" Turkish dish, but Istanbul loves their stuffed baked potatoes. Similar to the counter at Subway, you can choose from a variety of different toppings for your potato including olives, meat, coleslaw, mushrooms, onions, potato salad... Why not top your baked potato with potato salad? Yum.

5. Stuffed Waffles

A great idea! Why choose toppings for a baked potato or Subway sandwich when you can put things inside a waffle? Chocolate sauce, carmel sauce, pistachio cream, strawberry cream, whipped cream, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanuts, walnuts, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, yellow cherries, red cherries, green cherries, sprinkles, coconut... yum!

FYI: It's possible the stuffed waffles may upset your stomach...

Chora, You are Beautiful

Like so many of its counterparts, the Church of St. Savior in Chora was a one-time Christian church turned Islamic mosque. In keeping with tradition, its beautiful Byzantine mosaics were covered in plaster during the switch, which incidentally saved them. Today, the church/mosque is a secular museum known for having the best preserved Byzantine frescoes and mosaics anywhere in the world, and rightly so.

Mosaic of the Dormition (death) of the Virgin

Awkward...

Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque

(also known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles that decorate its interior)

Underground Beauty

Beneath the ground, 500 feet west of the Hagia Sophia, lies the largest ancient cistern in Istanbul—the Basilica Cistern. A forest of massive columns, the cistern's beauty competes with its above-ground neighboring buildings. The 105,000 square foot space originally provided water for the Great Palace of Constantinople and the Topkapi Palace; but now offers tourists a unique tour in an unexpected location.

*The Basilica Cistern's claim to fame:

It was used as a location in the 1963 James Bond film, From Russia with Love.

Two peculiar Medusa heads provide the base for columns in one corner of the cistern.

Hagia Sophia

Originally constructed by Constantine the Great, the current Hagia Sophia was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I in 532. It is said to be one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture because of its intricate mosaics and massive marble pillars. After over 900 years as the Orthodox church of Constantinople, its entire function changed when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror marched into the city and claimed the beautiful building as his own, immediately converting it into a mosque.

For 500 years, the Hagia Sophia stood as Istanbul's most famous mosque and inspired the design and architecture of several Ottoman mosques in the city. Inside, small additions such as the minbar (pulpit), mihrab (prayer room) and wooden minaret officially converted the Christian church into a Muslim mosque. Eventually, the beautiful mosaics depicting Biblical imagery were plastered over.

Today, the Hagia Sophia has been secularized into a museum for the public. The Islamic additions still remain as people work to uncover the beautiful Christian mosaics.

The highest indoor scaffolding I have ever seen!

The minbar, or pulpit

The well-known Virgin and Child mosaic

Some mosaics survived the plaster covering better than others.

Topkapi Palace

Home to the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years, Topkapi Palace was originally constructed by Mehmed II during the 1460s. It is made up of four main courtyards surrounded by various smaller buildings and functioned almost as an autonomous city within the city. Today, the palace acts as a museum displaying not only its buildings, but also various artifacts from the Ottoman Period (carriages, Islamic antiques, royal jewelry and weapons....). Most of our time within the palace walls was spent exploring the fascinating Harem and although the royal jewelry and artifacts were beautiful, I was unable to photograph any of them.

The Imperial Gate was the sultan's main entrance to the palace and leads directly into the First Courtyard.

The First Courtyard is also the largest of the palace's four courtyards and functioned primarily as a park. Located on its grounds are the formal Imperial Mint and Church of Hagia Irene.

After seeing wild cats throughout Jordan and Egypt, we were not surprised to find them in Turkey, too. However, Turkish cats are much cleaner and in overall better condition than their Middle Eastern counterparts. It probably doesn't hurt that people like this man find them irresistible and feed them delicious Turkish treats.

The Gate of Salutation leads into the main palace grounds and the Second Courtyard.

THE HAREM

The Harem, containing 400 rooms connected by a series of hallways and courtyards, was home to the sultan's mother, wives, concubines, children, and servants.

The Courtyard of the Eunuchs

The Eunuchs (castrated men) acted as servants and guards to the women of the Harem.

Traditional Turkish tiles lined the walls throughout the Harem.

The Courtyard of the Sultan's Consorts and Concubines

It is surrounded by baths, a laundry fountain, dormitories and the apartments of the Sultan's chief consorts.

The Apartments of the Queen Mother are part of the largest section of rooms in the Harem. Included within the apartments are a music room, bedroom, reception room, dining room, and bathrooms.

The Queen Mother and her attendants

Marble-floored hallways lead between rooms.

Part of the Baths of the Sultan and Queen Mother.... cold, cold, cold!

The Imperial Hall served as the official reception room for the Sultan and the primary entertainment room of the Harem. From his throne (pictured), the sultan received his children and other guests while watching various performances, including wedding ceremonies.

Exterior of the Twin Apartments of the Crown Prince

The Crown Prince lived here in seclusion until adulthood when he traveled to another Anatolian province to receive training in the administration of state affairs.

The Courtyard of the Favorites included apartments for the Sultan's favorite consort, who assumed official titles and powers when she became pregnant.