Türkiye, part I

Here are some photos from day 1 of my trip to Turkey. I won't put up all the pics or post about each day... Just the interesting things Fulya and I did. Day 1 was jampacked with all the historical sites of İstanbul'un Sultanahmet'i (the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul--I hope I'm writing that correctly!).

Topkapı Palace

Fulya in the garden at the entrance of the palace.

One of the side streets in the second court area (there are four).

A reenactment of a palace procession with music, singing and traditional outfits.

Harem hamamı (Bath in Topkapı's harem)

Aya Sofya
Byzantium church built by the Greeks, turned into a mosque,
and now rediscovering its Greek roots.


Basilica Cistern
Underground water supply--nice and cool after a hot day wandering around in the sun!


Two heads of Medusa, taken from another structure (though no one knows what structure). Strangely, one was placed in upside down and the other sideways--scholars think this was intentional but are not sure why.

Fish in the cistern. Fulya and I fed them simit, a Turkish circular bread with sesame seeds. You find this bread all over the place in big cities sold on the street--a wonderful snack!