Day 1: Istanbul

Ruth and Hannah's flight was a little bit delayed, so they got to the hotel just 10 minutes before me. We immediately set out to see Sultanahmet.

In front of the Blue Mosque

In the courtyard of the Blue Mosque

I was hoping to find a non-touristy restaurant. We succeeded, though we were out of place. The neighborhood had mostly men and hardly any women.

Yeah, but does America Coke come in 330mL?

We took the long way home along the Bosphorous, where we were hassled by men setting up make-shift tea gardens and a gypsy family who awkwardly stood in front of us after we didn't give them any money. A wealthy Afghan couple had us take their picture. Tourism is big here.

We walked through a big park and enjoyed the statues.

Turkish for lion = "aslan"

She was missing part of her nose. Sad.

Ruth is quickly disproving everything I keep telling them about Turkish culture. Such as...

• People don't kiss in public (Hannah found a covered lady kissing her boyfriend).
• Guys hardly ever go shirtless (Apparently shirts aren't in-style along the Bosphorous).
• Turks tend to be modest (Except for that guy peeing in public).