turkey // pamukkale

 we took an early flight from istanbul to pamukkale our second day in turkey and spent the entire day there. we didn't do a whole lot of research on this place because the pictures online sold us. it really was incredible although all the springs weren't open and there were hundreds of people around. we were dropped off at an area with lots of ruins in which we needed to walk through to get to the springs. we still don't know any of the history behind them but they were neat to see and imagine what it was like thousands of years ago. i remember it being very hot.. and i  was very hungry.. and very exhausted from pregnancy.. i started to kind of lose it at one point and just wanted to sleep under a tree and i had to stop a lot just to sit down. 

we made it to the springs and they were pretty incredible overlooking the valley. the mountains around us looked like snow and the water was a chalky blue. the springs weren't deep at all.. maybe two feet deep in some areas, but they were nice to sit in to cool down a little. i think they control where the water flows during certain times of the year because the pictures on google were different than what we experienced. we found a lot of more secluded pools but without water in them and i'm assuming they have water in them during their high season. 

we hung out at the springs for a while and then went to get some food. this resort area is really secluded and the only food you can get to is what they offer there. the food was crap. it was worse than what you would find in a ghetto cafeteria and of course overpriced. this was a little frustrating for a pregnant chick. i got a little pizza and fries and even tanner agreed it was horrible. they didn't offer much and i'm venting more than it really matters but we were there allll day and that's all they had. end rant.

this resort had a nice hot spring pool that only adults were allowed to be in. there were ruins in the pool that was really neat to swim around and see. i had felt extremely bloated that day and thought i looked "huge" with child and that pool felt so nice to float in. i can't believe i don't have one picture of it! i didn't want to get out because it felt so good to have that pressure taken off of my stomach. we were pretty much stranded there for the day because we were taking an overnight bus to our next destination and didn't have anything else planned. we ended up finding some spots in the grass and i took a needed nap and then we walked to some more ruins. after we had our feel and were ready to get some real food for dinner, we left to grab a taxi. the taxi was a rip off so we decided to walk to the nearest town to get dinner. you can imagine how i felt about that.. it was about 2 miles which wasn't horrible but i wasn't in the mood for it. turned out to be just fine and took we were graced with a gorgeous sunset and a good dinner.

turkey // istanbul - evening of day one

^^ one of the few things i could stomach were these little delicious donuts. i could have eaten a thousand of them!

^^ nothing about these 'treats' appeal to me

 ^^ i was obsessed with these lights. they were everywhere and i wanted to buy some for the nursery but decided against carrying them around the rest of the trip

 the rest of the day in istanbul was a little more mellow. we went back to the apartment so i could lay down and nap. that felt heaven sent. 

after resting for a little while, we left to watch the sunset. it was so beautiful seeing all the mosques with spires around us and the sun setting behind them. there were a lot of people around but i remember it feeling quiet.. everyone seemed to just be taking it in. we made our way to dinner and walked by lots of traditional turkish shops full of spices, turkish delights, colorful lights and whatnot. 

the atmosphere of the restaurant we ate in was awesome. we sat on pillows and rugs while we ate but the food was slightly disappointing. i was hoping turkish food would have been more like indian food with naan and curries but it wasn't so much. one thing that was nice about being pregnant is that tanner actually took the time to get at least three full meals and snacks in between for me. i know that is normal, but not for that guy. i guess he honestly has gotten better over the years and has actually become more of a foodie, but for a long time we would eat on the go.. which usually meant popping in a bakery, grabbing some bread or whatever then continue on while we ate it. he has always been good about stopping and eating something good and hearty for dinner but that was an adjustment for me because for me, the best part about traveling is trying new delicious food!

turkey // istanbul - morning of day one

 ^^ gotta love asking others to take your photo. at least the other lady is in focus. 

oh man, what a whirlwind trip. we went way back in september and crammed in one day what most people would do in probably a week. good thing is, the main things we wanted to see in istanbul were relatively close to eachother and we could get to them by walking or an easy train that went down the main street. bad thing is, i felt SO sick during this whole trip. i was approaching my 8th week of pregnancy and my "morning sickness" was a full blown 24 hours. jet lag didn't help too much. 

we arrived saturday evening and after dropping off our luggage in the apartment we were staying in, our host brought us to istiklal street for dinner. it was a fun night life area with lots of shopping and restaurants. 

we had a nice little breakfast the following morning outside of a cafe and then went to the top of the galata tour to see a beautiful view of the city. we then ventured to the main area and visited the blue mosque, hagia sophia church, basilica cistern, and topkapi palace.  we really wanted to go to the grand bazaar but it was closed since it was sunday. everything we saw was so beautiful and i loved that it had a mix of european culture and middle eastern. i am glad we got to go when we did. i feel like whenever i turn on the news (which is rare) there are more issues with ISIS and terrorists in turkey and surrounding countries. my dad was worried about us going but we were safe and sound without any issues.