Day 134 - Edirne, Turkey

Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

Lazy morning. Went downstairs for breakfast. Back in the room to do homework and reading. Left the room for lunch at 3:15pm to explore the old town of Edirne, which used to be the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
We visited the two most famous mosques and the bazaars.


We stopped here for a late lunch. TIP: avoid the touristy areas right outside the main sights! We didn't. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, either. For the price, it was jut OK.

The interior. They didn't have a lot of vegetables because it was late and they had run out.

The restaurant had pictures of the old town. I convinced Gregory and Daniel that I was taking a picture of them and not the old pictures above them.

My favorite drink Ayran, for my Mexican friends, tastes like jocoque. It is like light yogurt but salty. The menu was in English as well as in Greek and Bulgarian, that's how you know that it is a touristy restaurant.

Inside the Bazaar

Buying henna for Sunsine. I'm also considering getting a burka!


In front of the Old Mosque, photo bomb (not). I wanted the old man crossing!

Explanation of the old mosque, all in Turkish (lol)

The old mosque doesn't have much decoration but lots of fancy script.


The Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II, and was built by architect Mimar Sinan between 1569 and 1575. Wikipedia



Old mosque

Old mosque

The Selimiye Mosque from the outside.
Selimiye mosque




Interior of the Selimiye Mosque

Beautiful ceiling and lots of blue. Notable also for the 99 windows, symbolizing the 99 names of Allah.

There is a fountain in the middle of the mosque



Beautiful sunset, beautiful sibling love!


One of my favorite pictures (by Lili)

The ablutions fountain where they wash before prayer.
No special effects, just natural sunset!

I loved the blue details all over the mosque.

Very impressive mosque



it got dark early, around 6:00pm

There is a pedestrian street full of stores, kebab shops, and cafes. We stopped to get baklava, and fruit to take home. At the fruit stand, the old man threw mandarin oranges and plums into my bag. I wanted to give him more money but he wouldn't accept it. When I asked him what was some kind of vegetable, he joked and said that it was just old like him, and not young like Sunshine and pointed at the eggplants. I understood that they were old eggplants! We laughed and said our good byes. People in Turkey are just so friendly and giving! I only have good things to say about this culture. As a bonus, they are very clean. I love it!

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