My Big Fat Turkish Post

This is either the Black Sea or the Sea of Marmara. I can't remember because there are an abundance of seas surrounding Turkey!

I made the right decision to come back from Turkey. This I know to be true.

But,

Sometimes I miss it so much.

I miss waking up in the morning and grabbing fresh simit from the street vendors, where they've been making it for centuries, a recipe perfected over time that can't be duplicated.

I miss walking the hustling streets of Istanbul, sometimes laid out in cobblestone, leading to old Roman aqueducts and 1000-year-old walls standing prideful and strong--a reminder of how influential and important this city has been for forever.

I miss the unfinished sidewalks, the cracks in the buildings and the insane disregard for traffic rules--all things that convince this American that chaos can be better than order, imperfection more beautiful than perfect completion.

I miss seeing the Turkish flag splattered across the streets--brushstrokes of red--proudly displayed out of a sense of nationalism I find refreshing, not intrusive or overbearing.

I miss Turkish community, which I can't even put into proper words. I just wish I could be wrapped up in it again. It's maybe the greatest solace I've known.

I miss it.

Topkapı Palace, where there are artifacts alleged to belong to Mohammad.

The AyaSofya (called the Hagia Sofia here) is my favorite building in the entire world. All pictures I have of the inside don't do it any justice. All you need to know is that it's breathtaking.

Ruins in Efes (Ephesus). This is where the Virgin Mary hung out. No big deal or anything.

Cobblestone, my favorite!

I've posted this photo many times before, but I can't help it. This scene instantly makes me smile.

...

Why is it, no matter where I am, I am always missing something, somewhere or someone?

MY DREAM: To one day have a vacation home in Turkey, where I can relish in everything I love for the gloriously warm-you-to-the-bone summer months, then for the rest of the year, come back to America. Why can't I have both? ONE DAY I WILL HAVE BOTH.