Last full day in Turkey

We spent the afternoon in the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar. Wonderful places, including the first place to sell roasted coffee beans (1870), and zillions of things to buy and look at. The sellers are pleasant and fun -- very little hard selling. Here's my favorite come-on.

Self-portrait on the Aegean Sea

We spent the afternoon on the blue water of the Aegean Sea. I found this mirror and carpet in the hallway with the ship's cabins.

120,000-piece jigsaw puzzle

In a terrace-house being excavated above the library at Ephesus, they've found a marble room. The houses were abandoned after earthquakes, and the marble pieces here were buried for over 1000 years. 120,000 pieces to put together.







Outside Ephesus, there are the traditional shopping experience events for tourists.


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What happens after they eat the mulberry leaves

separating the silk threads from the cocoon


7000 knots/square inch!

aka, the carpet factory

Ballooning over Cappadocia

David the pilot checking the balloon before filling it



We were flying with 40 other balloons.

Mantis in Cappadocia

Tiny lamb ravioli with a chickpea-hot pepper-yogurt sauce. Life is good.

My favorite postcard shopper

I've been photographing Margaret buying postcards for almost thirty years. I was thrilled to see her with that big smile and a treasure trove of tile postcards.

Istanbul, Sept 11, 2010

Our first full day in Turkey was September 11th, a day we all, Muslim people in Istanbul included, remember well.

In the courtyard of the Blue Mosque, I asked these three women if I could photograph them. As soon as I got the shot, two of them jumped up on either side of me, put there arms around my shoulders, and we posed for the third.

I'll try to post at least one/day while we're in Turkey. If I don't, I'll post 1000 words instead. No. That's a joke.

Regards,

Phil