I left my heart in Turkey

Turkey is one of the most magical countries I've ever been to. It was love at first sight: clean, organized, romantic, delicious food, good shopping, beautiful mosques, efficient public transport...what more could you possibly want?! Surprisingly enough more people speak English in Cairo than they do in Istanbul. Minus the Turkish language barrier, I'd move there in a heartbeat!

Turkey Highlights:
*Topkapi Palace - seat of the Ottoman Empire. They have Moses' staff; the Prophet's footprint, cloak, sword and beard hairs; Abraham's skull; David's dagger; Bibi Fatima's robe and prayer rug; Hazrat Ali's sword and other cool religious artifacts. They also have an 85 carat diamond, I want me one of those!
*Blue Mosque - looks just like the Mohammed Ali Mosque in Cairo, except the Blue Mosque is CLEAN and well-kept, therefore breathtaking!
*Aya Sofia -church, converted mosque, now museum. There are Islamic relics along with mosaics dating back to 900 AD.
*Rumi's Mausoleum in Konya
*Cappadocia region -volcanic rock formations, underground cities, hidden monasteries built into mountains.

Thanksgiving! I just couldn't get enough of Turkey that week :) Laurel and I hosted the Cairo family for dinner at ours on the 26th. It was great celebrating this holiday with expats and Egyptians alike and helped to fill the void of not being home.

Jess and GPL came to visit the first week of December. Jess and I went to the Black and White Desert; throughout the night in our tent she kept asking me if the foxes stole our shoes. We both became one with nature and the sand and decided that while we may love nature, we love indoor plumbing more!

We toured all the big sites in Cairo and took a day trip to Alexandria. Griffin broke my shower and has now run away to Israel to seek refuge. It was great having them in Egypt, though we didn't get to see my favorite parts since they are all outside of Cairo!

I can't wait for the sisters to arrive on the 27th. I keep debating whether we should do 2 weeks in Egypt or 1 in Egypt and 1 in Morocco.... Right now, Morocco is winning.

MHI is currently in Egypt and will be in Cairo tomorrow. Hope to see him :)