Turkish Delight

Brian’s Delight was discovering that Turkish Delight is an actual confection much available made-fresh in Turkey.  The challenge will be not consuming so much of it that meals are still possible.  It’s not like ice-cream or other low-calorie treats. I bought 6 pieces after lunch and munched them down immediately.  I also got a bunch of free samples at the Spice Market.  This is going to take discipline.  My “line in the sand” is that I will NOT take any back to the hotel; only that which can be consumed on-the-spot.

Both of us are suffering with chronic jetlag.  I don’t usually get it at all traveling East, but this morning I really woke up with that I-feel-bad / I-wish-I-was-home feeling.  We didn’t get rolling until 9:00 AM and at that was only to crawl to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast.

Five cups of coffee later, we hit the cobblestones to just wander around to start to get the lay of the land.  It’s was a drizzly day.

The Blue Mosque  is really close to us, so we decided to go in for a look.  It truly is spectacular.  They let Diane in without her Burka (joke).  We had to take off our shoes, but they gave out plastic bags so you wouldn’t lose them in a shoe mountain.  I took lots of pictures inside, just enjoying the profound symmetry of the architecture and decoration.  The place smells delicately of feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque

We bought a couple of meat (lamb?) pita bread wraps for lunch at a sit-down restaurant.  Diane had pomegranate juice; I had water.  Excellent.

There after we wandered the streets all the way to the Spice Market.  We also went into the “New Mosque” which was built in the 1500s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mosque_(Istanbul)).  Our route back to the hotel was along the ocean.  We are headed out soon for dinner.

I don’t know where Diane is right now.  I have been up here on the roof top for about 90 minutes editing my photos.  She said she was coming up too.  I fear she has fallen asleep.