It's Istanbul...not Constantinople (Day One)

So we're in TURKEY! Craziness. This is definitely a little corner of the world that neither of us EVER thought we would ever get to see. And it's awesome.
We got all out of our Provo apartment and finished up with school (straight A's for both Spencer and I, booyah) just in time to hop on a plane and fly half way across the world, literally. The 15 hours of flying weren't nearly as bad as I thought, thank goodness, and despite two different major delays we still somehow made every flight and got into Istanbul on time.

First we went to our hotel, and on the way we saw some...interesting things.

 

 

 

And then we got to our hotel. I forgot to take a picture of our tiny bathroom The shower was literally 1 foot by 2 feet, and not square.

Then we went and saw Aya Sofia, which is HUGE and BEAUTIFUL! I loved it. If you need an idea of how big it really is, consider the fact that the Notre Dame cathedral could sit inside it.

Lunch was next, and our first Turkish meal did not disappoint. Yummy.

 After lunch we went and saw the Basilica Cistern, which I loved. So creepy but beautiful. And to think it used to be full of water.

 
Then the Blue Mosque, where I did not take any pictures of the inside...oops

Then walking around the streets, and buying cool calligraphy names from a guy on the street.

And then the call to prayer as we walked back to the hotel. They do this 5 times a day, a definite culture experience.

Welcome to Turkey!