After 3000 kilometers, a hot air balloon ride, a Turkish bath, and 5 mosques, 12 archeological sites, and 7 cities, we finished our grand tour of Turkey back where we started: Istanbul. To conclude our tour, we visited another of the most magnificent mosques, the Mosque of Suleiman.
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| Saying goodbye to Selcuk (our tour guide) |
After this, we walked across the old city to visit an Archeological Museum, which housed the Kadesh Treaty. This was the highlight of the experience, as it is the oldest international treaty that survives. It was signed to establish peace between the Egyptians and the Hittites. We also saw many sarcophagi, the oldest love poem in existence, Hammurabi's code, and many other artifacts.
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| Kadesh Treaty |
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| Tombstones |
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| Poseidon |
For lunch, we celebrated the third of five birthdays on the trip: Carrie Spicer, who turned 22. We returned to the same restaurant where she was sold into marriage for two chickens. Her husband was very appreciative.
In the afternoon, we explored the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest shopping centers in the world. It has over 3000 shops, and about 300,000 people visit this market daily. Here, we found many last minute souvenirs that were well worth the chaotic shuffle within.
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| Entrance |
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| Main Street of the Bazaar |
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| Yarn shop |
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