MERHABA! I'm back from my wonderful adventures in the country where east meets west - TURKEY or TÜRKIYE (turkish). I had an amazing time traveling throughout the country, starting off in giant city Istanbul where I got my religion on visiting old mosques. Then we headed towards the Aegean Sea's coast, where we stayed in a small Mediterranean town called Selçuk, relaxed on blissful beaches and explored the ruins of Ephesus. A couple days later we flew to a region called Cappadocia, where the landscape is unlike any other with massive canyons of red, yellow, and white stone, and "fairy chimneys' shaped millions of years ago by lava, water, and wind. Our hotel in the small town Göreme reflected the lives of the early settlers – Hittites and Christians – who dug into these chimneys and created cave homes and churches; the rooms were like our own cave dwellings. Overall the time I spent in Turkey will be unforgettable. I learned more about the Muslim religion and the lives of local Turks. I pushed myself further than before while hiking throughout rough terrain. I embraced the sun (100 degrees some days) and dealt with burns on my poor white body. And I learned that even though we (my family) still get into little tiffs now and then they are my best friends and trips like these wouldn't be the same without them around. Thanks family.

{I will slowly be putting up my photographs from my travels so check back for them}

Till then I want to share with you some of my wonderful gifts from Turkey. Above is a piece of tile I got in Göreme and below are my other ceramic pieces - a typical Turkey souvenir. The Turks are known for their handmade ceramics with beautiful Ottoman and Byzantine designs. The tulip is the flower of the Ottoman Empire so you see it used throughout most of their designs along with the color blue.

Topkapı Sarayı (Palace), which once was home to the Ottoman Emperor, is decorated from floor to ceiling with this beautiful tile. Below is an area in the Harem, where the Emperor housed all his mistresses and wives. Notice the use of the traditional blue color and the elaborate designs - there are about four different patterns here.