I just returned last night from a weekend in Istanbul. A friend of mine who I met kind of by chance through Peace Corps is traveling around the area for a month, and we decided to meet up for the weekend. I spent a lovely two days relaxing and drinking beer and coffee in outdoor cafes, and seeing some of the sights I missed on my last trip to this city.

Below are some highlights from the trip!

We decided to take a boat trip – for just about $10.00 each – so, while the boat was a little sketchy – we got to see some pretty sites for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon.

A view from our "cruise" on the Bosphorous

I love being by the water!

When on a cheap cruise boat - an umbrella hat is a must!

After the cruise, we explored the streets of Istanbul.

A busy street near Taksim Sqaure

The "evil eye" is very popular. Turkish people believe it brings them protection from jealousy. Parents even pin them to their newborn babies!

I chased this boy down in order to get a picture of his shirt. In case you can't see it, it reads: I feel happiness when I eat a potato. Oh, how I love bad English on clothing! The blur is a man's arm - I had to push him out of the way to get the picture

On Sunday morning we headed to the Haigha Sophia. Originally a Catholic Church built in 537AD, that was eventually converted to a Mosque after the Conquest in 1453. It remained a Mosque until 1935 when Ataturk declared it a museum. It was really amazing to see the clash of Islam and Christianity in one place.

A mosaic of Jesus, now imagine this in the same room as the picture above. Really fascinating!

A view from above

Before heading back to Ankara, we had lunch at an outdoor cafe! Chicken Sish and Efes beer! It was nice to relax and hide from the heat!

It was a great weekend! Erin also had a good weekend- and I will be posting about her celebrity encounter after I get all the details!