Aya Sophia Mosque - Istanbul

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Inside the Aya Sophia - Istanbul

The original church of the AyaSofya is from the 5th century, and was rebuilt after the huge dome collapsed several times in the 600 years that followed. In 1453, the Turks converted it from an Eastern Orthodox church to a mosque. Today, it houses the AyaSofya Museum, displaying a unique mix of Islamic symbols and Christian mosaics.© www.uncorneredmarket.com  

Casting a Line - Istanbul

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Fish Market - Istanbul

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Cappadocia Landscape

Cappadocian Village Life

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Ancient Cave Dwellings - Cappadocia

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Rockface Church - Cappadocia

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Cappadocia Canopy

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Roman Baths at Pamukkale (Hierapolis)

There are still Roman ruins in the baths - the columns and stone fragments in the pool are original, dating back over 1800 years.© www.uncorneredmarket.com  

Pamukkale, Turkey

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Temple of Hadrian, Ephesus

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Library of Celsus, Ephesus

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Temple of Hadrian, Ephesus

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Backgammon Lessons on the Turkish Meditteranean

Our Friendly Hosts

The captain's brother Huseyn (left) didn't really speak any English, so he would communicate with us by pointing to an English word with a quill in a Turkish-English dictionary. It became quite confusing trying to get the results of the US Presidential Elections in 2000. Each time he would listen to the radio, we would get a different report on the winner. It was only when we checked internet later that we realized what was going on.And yes, Jesus (aka Freddy) might remind one of Adrian Grenier from Entourage.© www.uncorneredmarket.com  

Playing Backgammon - Turkey

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Gulet Cruise on the Turkish Mediterranean Coast

The Turkish Mediterranean coast is chock-a-block with offers of gulet (wooden-hulled boat) sea cruises.We book ours last-minute at the very end of the season in early November. Our cruise, which finds us traveling alone with a full crew at our service, takes us from Fethiye to Olympos with port stops at Kalkan and Kas in between. Though the tourist season is essentially over, we enjoy three days of sunning and swimming in crisp, but clear-blue waters. When we aren't busy relaxing, the captain’s brother and first mate engage us with ad hoc Turkish lessons (point and shoot method using a quill and English-Turkish dictionary), card playing and copious backgammon defeats. For us, the sites, food, people, and gaming captures the Turkish spirit and proves one of the many highlights of our three weeks in Turkey.© www.uncorneredmarket.com