Accidental Traveler

The kids and I decided to travel to Turkey to visit Pat three days after mom left. We had talked about taking a family vacation to Malta once he returned home, but decided our August was already jam packed. We flew into Istanbul and spent the weekend there before heading to Izmir. The kids were so excited to see their daddy after being away for a couple of months!

Istanbul was extremely busy due to the end of Ramadan holiday. The Blue Mosque is the second largest mosque in the world, and there were many visitors vacationing from other Muslim countries. I was stunned how filthy the city was. People would finish their bottled water, or whatever they were eating and throw their garbage on the ground. I do think this was partly due to the large amount of tourists that weekend. I have heard from friends who have also visited that it was much cleaner. I will say I saw many city workers trying to pick up the trash from the street. Pat had a colleague stationed in Istanbul, and we met with them a couple of nights for dinner and walking around the city.

Our favorite part of Istanbul was the Hagia Sophia. This was the Vatican of the Constantinople period. While there is a grueling history, I was amazed with the beauty and intricate detail of the church/mosque/museum. Before we headed to Izmir we stopped to see the Medusa columns in the cisterns. This giant ancient underground water tank supplied the city during all those long sieges. It was also a nice break from the 110 degree weather outside!

Pat, the kids, and I hopped on a flight from Istanbul to his apartment in Izmir. He found a great place in the middle of the city. What a different feeling from Istanbul. Izmir is lively, but not crowded. We saw our first protest within hours of landing. We weren't sure what it was about, but were impressed the police to demonstrator ratio. While Pat worked, the kids and I spent our days at the Nato pool. This was possibly the nicest spot in the entire city, and we spent 4-5 hours a day swimming. Unsurprisingly, Elly made a friend and they were inseparable!

Our last weekend was spend on the Island of Chios in Greece. It was a nice, relaxing weekend, but the effects of the debt crisis were pretty apparent. It seemed like we were the only ones on the island. There was a big fat Greek wedding at the hotel which carried on until the wee hours of the morning.

Overall we had a great trip! The kids and I left two days before Pat returned home to prepare for our 13 day Baltic States trip! Enjoy the photos!

Reunited after two months in Istanbul!

The Bosphorus Strait, where the Mediterranean and Black Sea meet

Family photo in front of the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque at night (The sign is wishing everyone a happy ending of Ramadan)

Inside the Blue Mosque

Kids washing their hands outside of the Mosque

Hagia Sophia which is right across from the Blue Mosque. I hear everyone does handstands outside of it!

Interior of Hagia Sophia. Note the Islamic additions

Uncovered after centuries behind plaster. :(

Tile mosaics that had to be carefully restored. Undoubtedly there will be pieces missing. They began removing the plaster in 1934. There are still some completely covered.