istanbul

we are on our trip in turkey now...after a long flight to frankfurt and then a shorter flight to turkey, we made it here last night...our hotel is on the bosphorus strait..we can see the bridge that connects the european side and the asian side...it's so beautiful...today we saw the blue mosque which is a working mosque...named the blue mosque for the blue tiles inside it...we were able to go in and see it...very ornate and beautiful...then right next door is the sophia hagia...it was originally a christian church built in 600 a.d. then in the 1600's it was turned into a moslem mosque...now it is a museum...it is the 4th largest church in the world...very beautiful...from there we went to a rug store and they showed us how they make turkish rugs...very interesting...they gave us apple tea...very good...then we went to the grand bazaar...these are stores...over 4000 of them...they sell everything...jewelry, rugs, knicknacks, pottery, purses etc...very fun....a crazy place to get lost in...it is over 500 years old..tomorrow we are going to the grand palace...topaki..and spice markets...this city is very cosmopolitan and interesting...so many cultures going on in one place...so, more later...we're going to have turkish baths!