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i'm a girl who have stepped into the unknown called work and decided that schooling is better. i also have a propensity to go crazy over fried chicken wings and simply love to squeeze and over-feed my obese hamsters. my blog is a mode for expressing my love for food, movies, travel and shopping!



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Thursday, June 30, 2011 @ 09:22
turkey day 3: istanbul-cappadocia

day 3 was a very packed day for parv and i as we had to tour istanbul by foot and then catch a domestic flight to cappadocia in the evening. we woke up real early to pack our suitcases and went on our tour.



we had to remove our shoes prior to entering the blue mosque. each of us was given a plastic bag to put them in (how environmentally friendly). also, if you are showing your shoulders and collarbones or wearing shorts, you will be given a piece of cloth to wrap yourself in.







afte the blue mosque, walked to the topkapi palace, where we were entranced by the huge courtyards and the wonderful tales. some of the national treasures are also displayed here.















then it was break for lunch. the agency did not scrimp on food cost as we dined at muradan, a fine resturant, overlooking the blue mosque and the marmara sea.


parv and a cherry tree. i had the misconception that cherries grew on bushes.









baklava, a terribly sweet dessert. can imagine my dad licking his bowl clean.


we had some time to chill before heading on to the second part of the tour, so we went to have some apple tea. we loved it at the beginning, but realised later towards the end of the tour, it was a tourist thing (locals don't drink it) and it's not actually a tea, but a powdered drink.




following that, we went to st sophia museum, which alternated between a mosque and a church throughout the years. the place was absolutely stunning and left me in awe.





some of the christian frescoes beneath the muslim mosaics.







we were later brought to this unpretentious building which led to the basilica cistern, a huge chamber underground.





unfortunately, parv and i couldn't go to the grand bazaar as we had to rush off to catch our plane.


at the airport, we tried another type of apple tea in the form of a tea bag. it didn't taste as great.


it was extremely cloudy when we checked into kelebek hotel at cappadocia. we got a junior suite in the cave hotel.






and grabbed dinner before going back for some sleep before our hot air balloon ride the next day!

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