Istanbul, Turkey

                 Istanbul was the most interesting and different city I have ever been to. Visiting mosques where I had to take off my shoes and cover my head was a totally new experience for me. During multiple times a day, prayers were said over the intercoms at all of the mosques around the city. At the Grand Bazaar, which has over 1,200 shops, you could buy almost anything you needed. There was a lot of bargaining  involved in the purchases at the Grand Bazaar. Inside the Hagia Sofia, everything was so intricate. It has been both a mosque and a cathedral in history, so there are many hints of both religions within the decor of the Hagia Sofia. 

                 My turkish bath experience was not exactly what I had in mind, but the idea of sitting in something so old was fascinating. They gave me a sand paper scrub down, a foaming bath, and then had me sit in a sauna. Also, the Basilica Cistern was very cool! It was underground and built during the Roman Empire and was a way to bring water into the center of the city. There were over 300 columns in the Cistern. Besides all of the tourists attractions, I met friends from all over including a group of girls studying in Athens from America, a group from Croatia, and a group from Japan. Overall, the trip was unforgettable!

Hagia Sofia 

Men washing their feet outside of the Blue Mosque

in the courtyard of the blue mosque

inside the blue mosque

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Hagia Sofia

Inside the Hagia Sofia

Grand Bazaar

Aqueduct

Basilica Cistern

Evil Eye of Istanbul

Medusa Column inside the Basilica Cistern

Topkapi Palace 

Inside Turkish bath built in 1475

Paris!

Paris was an amazing trip! Loretta and I ended up doing so much in so little time! We spent a lot of time in museums such as the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay. Our trip to Versailles was great, however it was so cold that the gardens were closed as well as Marie Antoinette's estate. Paris was very cold however in Rome it was snowing! On Sunday, our flight home was cancelled so the trip was put on hold in order to figure out how we were getting back to Rome. We ended up going from restaurant to restaurant on the Champs de elysee trying to access the internet. We ended up staying in a hotel that night and flying out on Monday morning. While Paris was one of the more expensive trips due to the flight changes, the city was beautiful and exciting!

Notre Dame

Mona Lisa

The Louvre

Arc De Triumphe

View from the top of the Arc

Champs de elysee

Notre Dame Cathedral

Locks on the bridge to represents couple's eternal love

Versailles Palace

Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antoinette's room

gardens at Versailles

Eiffel Tour from Seine River Tour

Orvieto, Italy

Orvieto is a small town on a hill in the Umbria region of Italy. I went there to take a cooking class with Chef Lorenzo at his restaurant Zeppelin. We went to the market and hand picked all of our ingredients and then cooked for three hours before sitting down to eat and after exploring the town of Orvieto. I purchased some ceramics too which Orvieto is known for. All in all, I ate so much delicious food and fell in love with the small town.

Orvieto Cathedral

winery