The Cards Continue Travels Abroad

My name is Peter Card. I am currently teaching and living in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is the fifth correspondence to share my adventures living abroad. I am truly amazed at where life has taken me. I hope by sharing my experiences it encourages you to pursue your dreams as well. God Bless!

Our travels detailed in this adventure landed Cheryl and I in Istanbul, Turkey last Fall and it quickly became one of my favorite destinations.

Istanbul is one of the top five most visited cities in the world. It is a great mixture of both traditional and modern with the city distinctly divided into these two areas. The traditional part of the city, known as Sultanahmet, is home to Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and many other signficant religious and cultural landmarks. What is very interesting is that the city is of religious importance both to Christian and Muslims alike.

Topkapi Palace, for example, houses both relics of Moses, David, and Abraham as well as those of Mohammad and Islamic priests. Hagia Sophia is also a jaw droppingly beautiful church that at some point was transformed into a mosque and is now a museum.

Istanbul is also the only city that sits on two continents. The two areas connected by the Bosphorus Bridge lie in both Europe and Asia, with most of the tourist parts of the city lying in Europe. For those less interested in the historical aspect of Istanbul, it is also a great destination for eating and shopping. The Egyptian Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar have an overwhelming amount of food and shops and ridiculously low prices. The people in every place we went were very friendly although they were defintely giving us the tourist treatment.