Photo Review: Israel and Turkey!

Hi friends!  Apologies for the absence.  But it's more like a sorry-I'm-not-sorry, because I just got back from Israel and Turkey!  Lands of hummus, pita, olives, and eggplant, which is most of what I consumed this past week.  The trip, in photos:

Our first morning (it was after noon with jet lag) in Tel Aviv: Espresso always my drink of choice.  Handsome boyfriend to boot!

Tel Aviv graffiti art -- I read before I left for Israel that Banksy is represented around Tel Aviv, but when I Googled "Bansky art Tel Aviv" I couldn't find this.  Looks similar, eh?

Beachside in Tel Aviv

It was so hot.

The trip centered around my friend's Tel Aviv wedding.  Three hundred friends and family cheering, dancing, and generally wishing the couple mazel tov!  Michael even learned a thing or two about Judaism!

After a heroic parking job in Jerusalem, we made our way to the Old City, home of all basically all the most important stuff to the three biggest monotheistic religions in the world.  We attempted to see all that important stuff in one afternoon.  Heyyyyy Old City!

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Western Wall and Dome of the Rock

Spa-ing by the Dead Sea.  I've heard everyone describe the Dead Sea as easy to float in (because it's the saltiest sea in the world), but no one mentioned that it is 1) impossible not to float in and, in fact, difficult to keep most of your body under water, a disconcerting experience to say the least and 2) the salt gets into every tiny scratch and wound on your skin, including ones you didn't know you had, so you are a mess of stings when emerge, and 3) there are warnings posted everywhere against submerging yourself for longer than 20 minutes.  Ahem... just saying.

self-timing

I love how hazy this photo, which looks across the Dead Sea and into Jordan, is.  That's what it really felt like.

Froyo with pomegranate, banana and Oreo.  Yes, please.

On to Istanbul, where we had to see the great Hagia Sophia.

...and drink some Turkish tea.  I now own enough to get me through the next couple of years, easy.

colors

Visiting the Blue Mosque, all the women were asked to cover our hair.  I didn't mind a bit!

Mosque feet

On our last night in Turkey we ate at Suada, a tiny island in the Bosphorus Strait, smack dab between Europe and Asia.

And to round off our trip, an Istanbul pub crawl.  Bye, Turkey!