¡Vamos a Turquía!

I really don't even know where to start with this post...

I just got back from Turkey, from a life-changing trip with so many ups and downs that the roller coaster analogy really does seem to fit. 
I'm sure my travel-mate, Kayla, and I both left the trip with the feeling that there really are few obstacles that we wouldn't be able to handle. 

Kayrah and me in front of the Blue Mosque.
The lighting is crappy, but alas, I don't own Photoshop

entering the Blue Mosque!

The ropes that the lights hang from

Roses outside the Blue Mosque. You can see the men cleaning their feet near the pillars.

Beautiful lights hanging from the ceiling

Our trip was full of amazing cultural exchanges, peeving cat-calls, refreshing swims, sleepless nights, intense hikes, spelunking in ancient caves, hot loose tea, traditional Turkish breakfasts, stomach-churning illness, breath-taking views, twelve-hour bus rides, naps on airport floors, merhabas and teşekkür ederims, gift-buying trips, and lira-spending. Seriously, the list seems infinite. It's crazy how much living can happen in just seven days!

If you were wondering how to say "I'm from the USA" in Turkish...

 Our first day in Istanbul was pretty calm, so I'll get into more intensity in my following posts. For now, I'll just post some pretty pictures and think about how to articulate my thoughts for the next ones!

I enjoyed watching the stray kibbles

Thar she blows!

 When they say Grand Bazaar, they really mean Gigantic Bazaar. I thought the market in Murcia was big...this place was huge.

 I think it was supposed to be organized by wares, but all of the signs were in Turkish. Most popular items were scarves, lamps, coffee and tea-related goods, chess and other game boards, shoes, clothes, etc.

Turkish pastries in a bakery window. Can you see the McDonalds reflected across the street?

Outside the Grand Bazaar; I love the old building that it was in!

Some miscellaneous thoughts about Turkey:

• I was surprised by how green it was! I kind of expected it to be like a Middle Eastern desert. Istanbul is on the European side, after all.
• Turks in [city centre] Istanbul were generally annoying, so I'm incredibly glad that I ventured outside of Istanbul to meet amazing Turks in their purest form. Everywhere else we visited, the people were genuinely friendly and hospitable. So many people went out of their way to help us out; some of the friendliest strangers I've ever met! 
• On that note, Istanbul was really touristy. To anyone who hasn't traveled too much, this could be okay and maybe even beneficial. To me, highly-touristed areas can be turn-offs if made obvious. I had the same problem in Barcelona (but not Madrid!). It is possible to be highly-touristed without giving off that vibe. However, we really only spent 3 days in Istanbul, so I'm sure there are some amazing non-touristy places that we didn't catch.
• Asking me where I'm from before I even acknowledge you...that's kinda weird and gets old pretty fast. It seemed like the majority of the population consisted of salesmen, or at least people with that mentality. We got used to ignoring the people that shouted at us to get our attention. 
• I saw lots of little children peddling wares alongside the streets. It made me so sad to see this, but there's really nothing I could think of to do. Buying from them would only perpetuate the system... it made me want to find their parents and yell at them! I tried to ask one little boy where his parents were, but he didn't speak English...
• I noticed VERY few beggars in Istanbul. I think everyone just peddles something, so there's really no excuse for begging. 
• In general, Turkey was pretty cheap! I loved being able to cut the price in half to convert it into dollars. 100 Turkish Lira is about $55. Now, back to the euro...

Look at this cheeky guy.