Out of my Comfort Zone in Istanbul, Turkey

"Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone"

Let's start from the beginning, or at least my last blog post :)  After we were engaged life seemed to take off...I was in straight planning mode.  Not only was I planning a wedding, but also working full time and trying to understand Physics II.  My siblings and I all finished exams around the same time and our sleep deprived and caffeine intoxicated bodies were ready to celebrate, ready for "The Best Christmas Present Ever" (read previous post from December 2012).

After months of anxiously awaiting, May 20th had finally arrived and we were on our way to one of the best three weeks of our life and we had no idea what to expect.  A learning and bonding experience of a lifetime!! We were off to Turkey, Israel, and Italy!

First stop: Istanbul, TURKEY 
I remember I was sitting in the front seat, just taking it all in.  I couldn't read the road signs, I couldn't understand the music that was on the radio, I hadn't slept for a solid 24 hours, but I was having an absolute blast.  I remember my first impression of Istanbul was it reminded my of San Francisco, with all of the pollution, you could barely see the Sea of Marmara.  NYC is still my favorite city that I have been to so far, Istanbul is a very, very close second.  I fell in love with this city that lies on two Continents.  I fell in love with the view, the food, the old history, the new atmosphere. We spent four days in Istanbul, Turkey and I could have easily spent two weeks here....I will be back, Istanbul!!

We stayed at the Marmara House in "Old Istanbul."  Family run, charming, and personable place.  Our parents had stayed here a few months before, so they were expecting our arrival.  They were very helpful with sightseeing, converting money, language barriers, etc.  The balcony was TO DIE FOR!!! They served amazing fresh fruit, hummus, vegetables, Turkish coffee, and fresh juice every morning.  We were 1/4 mile walk from all the action and points of interest.  We did not venture over the bridge to  where Taksim Square "New Istanbul" is located; complete with clubs, nice restaurants, shopping. I would HIGHLY recommend Marmara House when traveling to Istanbul. http://marmaraguesthouse.com/

After a tourist-packed day, it was nice to enjoy a book and some wine on the Marmara House patio

Breakfast at Marmara House

"Points of Interest" we visited while in Istanbul....

This is the 4 of us in front of the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia).  It is an incredible 1500 years old!! It is said to have "changed the history of architecture" and it remained the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years until 1520.  First an orthodox church, then turned into a mosque, and now a public museum.

 Topkapi Palace...primary residence for Ottoman Sultans for 400 years

The Basilica Cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water, but today it only has a few feet of water lining the bottom.  It was built during the 6th Century and is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. 

We checked out the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar, " one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops ^[2][3] which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.^{[4]" Wikipedia} 

One of my favorite things we did...got a fish sandwich (fresh from the Bosphorus) with a bunch of locals

amazing view of Istanbul from the Galata Tower

Nathan and I in front of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, "The Blue Mosque."  It was built as a mosque (and still remains one) in 1609 as a means to "out do" the Aya Sofya.  The two face each other and it was cool to be between both of them during the prayer call.  We were allowed into this mosque, and for this experience I am thankful.
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We respected the dress code of the mosque, men had to be covered from knees down and women had to have their shoulders/back, legs, and head covered.  When I walked in, I noticed visitors were allowed in the middle and in front of them were male Muslims, and behind the visitors stood the Muslim women.  I looked to the right of me and it was incredible to see the Muslim men praying; peaceful, passionate, enduring.  I looked to my left and I see the same thing from the Muslim women, only they are behind a "cage-like" wall and this scene o Muslim women will be forever engraved in mind.  I thought and researched about this issue a lot.   I could quote what the Quran says about women and men, but I really don't know or understand the Quran.  You cant take one excerpt from the Bible to make your thoughts valid, that is called ignorance.  I don't know enough about the Muslim religion to judge, so I won't.  After all, a Muslim woman going to worship is just as a Christian nun, they are dressed the same.  If anything, it makes me sympathize with these women.  I couldn't wait to get back to the United States, where equal pay for men and women was such a minuet issue for me now.  A North Carolina law concerning abortion was passed shortly after returning home from this trip...do I have an opinion about abortion?! Absolutely.  Are there bigger fish to fry? Absolutely.   When you go outside of your comfort zone, things are put into perspective.   Little did I know just how out of my comfort zone I would get (next stop, Israel!) and just how scary, yet incredible the experience was.