Greece and Turkey

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The next morning we both wore long pants so that we could visit the mosques. Our first stop was the Blue Mosque, built in 1609. It's called the Blue Mosque because there's so much blue in the thousands of tiles decorating the inside.

The mosque is also decorated with stained glass. We couldn't get a close look at the windows because non-Muslims have to stay in the back third of the building, behind a wooden fence.

Our next stop was the Mosaic Museum. This museum houses mosaics which were once part of the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors but were covered up by later construction. Now, the mosaics have been restored and are on display. The mosaics below once decorated the floor.

After a long day of walking, we visited a Turkish bath. We chose the Çemberlitas Bath. The information below is from their brochure. It was definitely an interesting experience -- unlike any other massage we've had. To the right is a view of the hot room. It was very warm and steamy inside, and although the marble platform was hard, it was really nice to lie on because it was heated from below.

After our baths, we walked to the Süleymaniye Mosque, built between 1550 and 1557. This mosque was not nearly as crowded as the Blue Mosque, but just as impressive inside. The main dome is 174 feet high.

The next morning we both wore long pants so that we could visit the mosques. Our first stop was the Blue Mosque, built in 1609. It's called the Blue Mosque because there's so much blue in the thousands of tiles decorating the inside.

	The mosque is also decorated with stained glass. We couldn't get a close look at the windows because non-Muslims have to stay in the back third of the building, behind a wooden fence.

Our next stop was the Mosaic Museum. This museum houses mosaics which were once part of the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors but were covered up by later construction. Now, the mosaics have been restored and are on display. The mosaics below once decorated the floor.


After a long day of walking, we visited a Turkish bath. We chose the Çemberlitas Bath. The information below is from their brochure. It was definitely an interesting experience -- unlike any other massage we've had. To the right is a view of the hot room. It was very warm and steamy inside, and although the marble platform was hard, it was really nice to lie on because it was heated from below.
	After our baths, we walked to the Süleymaniye Mosque, built between 1550 and 1557. This mosque was not nearly as crowded as the Blue Mosque, but just as impressive inside. The main dome is 174 feet high.