Istanbul, Turkey / Spiraling down from travel and explorations abroad

The month of May 2015 provided the chance to travel and see and experience how different parts of the world live, eat and decorate! The travel was made possible thanks to family and friends who let me couch surf and stay with them during this fun, creative and work related engagement. Tonight, as it is past midnight - and I am buzzing on root beer caffeine and some late night cheese pizza regrets, I will share with you some images from Istanbul, Turkey. Lucky for me, I have a cousin who lives there, and who I have been dying to visit since she left Perú. Now, married and raising a family in Turkey, she and I were able to reunite. 

These are some of the images that inspired me to think about CONTRAST. What I was able to appreciate from this part of the country during my short time there, is their willingness to embrace the new while still honoring the old. I also love how some structures were overtaken by nature, and the community accommodated to it. It's quite beautiful! Whether it's a branch growing through the grand bazaar shop, to a wind and rain distressed window sill. The place was blooming with color and fragrances from the flowers and the sea.

Below you will see images of creatures in space, people in and about a mosque, and a varied architecture from the European and Asian side of Istanbul.  I mostly focused in a town called Ortaköy (parks, communities, and politicians making speeches for example), though some of the images are from Kiz Kulesi as well, during a late night stroll with my cousin. I hope the colors encourage your senses to create your own palette for your home spaces. I am excited to combine some of these colors and themes in my own living space. 

A couple of the images you may note involve food. This is because Amos and I are lovers of food. One thing I brought back with me from their amazing Turkish breakfast - which has everything in the food pyramid! (Do people still use the pyramid?) Cheese, honey, olives, tea/caffeine, baguette, egg scramble, cucumber and tomato slices, yogurt, fruit -- ugh! It's all amazing. 

I plan to return to Istanbul in about a year to see my cousin again. Next time I am bringing home some vibrant Turkish lamps.