Adventures in Istanbul!

We got in to Istanbul late at night on Wednesday, so we made plans to meet Margaretta Thursday morning for brunch. We met her at a top floor restaurant near our hotel and enjoyed lunch with a beautiful view. A storm was moving in so it was fun to watch the clouds and snow come and go from way up high.


Snowing in Istanbul!

We were happy to be able to spend some time with Margaretta and have her play tour guide around Istanbul. She took us to the note-worthy places. These places are so magnificent and I wish we could capture all of the beauty in a picture, but the pictures really don't show how spectacular everything is. You just have to be there and experience it for yourself.

First on the list was the Blue Mosque.




Next was the Hagia Sophia.





There are many cats who live in the Hagia Sophia and Will made friends with one!







Earlier in the day there were several inches of snow covering the ground, but once it stopped snowing and the sun came out it all melted away.

We were pretty cold so we stopped for some lentil soup and tea. Then we went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner and meeting Mahmoud!

We joined Mahmoud on Istiklal Avenue, a famous avenue in Istanbul. We took a very easy, smooth ride on the train to get there. The public transportation was great! Just off Istiklal Avenue is a restaurant that Jim and Hawley really like, and this is where we met Mahmoud!


After dinner we went to the house of an acquaintance of Mahmoud. Here Margaretta and Mahmoud had a ceremony called a Nikah. In this ceremony they committed themselves to each other. Now that they have gone through this ceremony they are able to get an apartment together when they live in Antakya!

Right after the ceremony







The happy couple!

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