Turkey

Did you know I visited the Republic of Turkey with my sisters a few months ago? It feels like a lifetime has passed since that trip.

I remember the four of us walking the streets of Istanbul and being accosted constantly by street vendors and restaurant owners urging us to patronize their establishments.

I remember how crowded the Blue Mosque was; how hundreds of tourists were packed inside to marvel at the intricate tiling and to gawk at the Muslims praying with their backs to us. I felt both grateful to have been allowed the opportunity to enter such an impressive, historically rich building and disgruntled on the locals' behalf who surely find the ever present tourists obnoxious.

I remember the Aegean cruise on our little gulet; eating meals together; playing backgammon; exploring ancient Greek ruins on tiny islands; diving into the clear clear blue ocean and clambering over rocks to find sea creatures.

I remember the places we stayed, how we alternated sleeping arrangements so that we would have a chance to spend one-on-one time with one another.

I remember carpet buying in Selcuk; the tea and talk; the proprietors laying carpet after carpet in front of us searching for the colours we liked, the patterns that pleased us. Jennie bought a beautiful carpet for her home from a skinny charmer named Osman.

So many memories are packed into mere two weeks. I can't wait until our next sister trip.