Istanbul with Julianne

After taking a long hiatus from blogging, I am have been re-inspired by my recent travels through the amazing country of Turkey. I hope to give you a glimpse into the very special adventure that Julianne and I got to share 7 time zones away... yes, I am still recovering.

My husband was a little nervous about how two beautiful women would fair in a foreign country, but the reality was that the worst of the harassment I received was by an American at the DC Airport before even leaving for the trip... Drunk men are not attractive, nor do listen very well when you remind them several times that you are married... Thankfully this was the only sketchy encounter I faced.

We stayed in the "Sultanahmet" region of Istanbul, which is pretty much code for "Tourist Area". We could walk to all of the major historical and religious museums and sites, which was very convenient, but not necessarily "authentic Turkey". We did meet some locals who helped us discover what Turkey was all about though and I realized that I might be more of a 'tourist' that I would like to admit...
1) My luggage says "American Tourist" on the label
2) I wanted to go to a cafe that served alcohol, food, and where you could smoke hooka (or shisha) - apparently the one stop shops are only for tourists, Turks only drink tea when they smoke the hooka (which just about everyone does).

The first night Julianne enjoyed great conversation over a delicious meal at the Metropolis Cafe. It was such a joy to connect with one another and discuss our lives while sipping good wine and watching cultures collide in front of us.