Leaving Turkey / Beginning to leave France

After our wonderful hot air balloon ride early on 15 May, Kris and I flew back to Istanbul for one final day in the capital city. 

Aya Sophia

That afternoon, we went to visit the last major site on our list: Topkapi Palace, the former home of the Ottoman Sultans. Wow, talk about opulence and grandeur! The displays in the treasury and armory were absolutely unbelievable. Gold everywhere, an 86-carat diamond, hundreds of golf ball sized-emeralds, crystal chalices, 800-year old swords and shields, etc. Vast amounts of cultural treasures were within eyesight at every turn. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the treasury and armory, but we took plenty of pictures as we explored the beautiful grounds of this massive complex. 

I'd like to lay around in this room and read a book all day, thank you.

Beautiful views across the water to the 'new' part of town and Galata Tower.

It was a beautiful day. We highly recommend visiting the Palace in the late afternoon (3-6pm); there weren't that many people and we were able to leisurely walk through everything. 

Afterwards, we went back to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market to pick up some last-minute souvenirs and gifts. I wound up buying myself many things in Turkey (it's the only country where I splurged on souvenirs during my 10 months in Europe! I'm not including France because I lived there, haha), one of which was an awesome Turkish lamp! The one I bought looks much like the one on the right, pictured below. I can't wait to put a candle in it and use it in my future apartment in Denver. :)

Then, we said a final goodbye to our spot near the fountain between Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque. We were very sad to be leaving Turkey just as soon as we felt like we had gotten the hang of things. I think we could have stayed and explored more of the country for another couple of weeks, at least.

Turkey is beautiful, dripping with gorgeous history and architecture, and the people are lovely. I would absolutely recommend that everyone add it to their list of places to experience. 

And now, for something completely different... 

Kris and I flew back into Paris and the next morning, we picked up my parents at Charles de Gaulle airport, took the metro into Paris proper, the four of us had a quick lunch together, and then Kris headed to Gare du Nord to begin his return trip to the USA (via the UK), while my parents and I headed to Gare Montparnasse and jumped on a train to Bordeaux. My final two weeks in France had begun.

Now, as you all know, I adore Bordeaux, so I was excited for my parents to see it. In all of our family trips to Europe, my parents and my sister had only ever seen Paris in France, so it was high time they saw some areas outside of the capital! Here are a few things we enjoyed about Bordeaux:

Fountains! Plazas! Statues!

L'Entrecôte! One of my favorite kitschy French restaurants.

Parks and gardens

More delicious food! Here, our breakfast at Plume: Small Kitchen.

After our short weekend in Bordeaux, we headed to Nantes so they could finally experience my city! My parents loved Nantes. They told me that they could absolutely see why I was so fond of it and felt so at home there. They described Nantes as, "easy to navigate", "friendly", "very livable", and "so genuinely French". Yup, yup, yup, and yup. :)

My reading for our train rides. Gotta prep for grad school! :)

On Monday, 20 May, we visited the main sights in town, such as the Bouffay portion of downtown, le Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, le Cathedral Saint Pierre, L'Eglise Saint Croix, le Cathedral Saint Nicholas, and le marché de Talensac.

On the 21st (my mom's birthday), the three of us made a day-trip out to le Mont Saint Michel, a beautiful spit of land that is kissed by the tides every day, and the second-most visited site in France. I had been there before in 2009, and my parents had very much been wanting to see the place. They thought it was absolutely gorgeous. We had a great day walking up and down the crowded, winding streets, taking ourselves on a tour of the Abbey, and eating crepes for lunch. :)

The following day (Wednesday 22 May) was a busy one. We started off by packing up our things and hopping on a train to Angers in the morning. I had visited Angers with N back in October, and I really wanted my parents to see the chateau and the Apocalypse Tapestry there. I knew they would be astounded by that huge, ancient tapestry, and sure enough, they were totally stunned! My dad particularly enjoyed our time in Angers. After the chateau, we went to visit the main cathedral in town and wound up stumbling upon an organist practicing away, and then we enjoyed a fabulous lunch in one of the main plazas downtown.

In the courtyard of the chateau

The Adam House, downtown.

We got on another train in the early afternoon and made our way from Angers to Paris. My sister and brother-in-law were going to arrive at CDG on Friday 24 May, so we decided to head out a day early and make a couple of day trips. On Thursday, my dad and I made our way by train and bus to Monet's gardens in Giverny. We picked the perfect time of year to visit! While the weather was still a bit volatile (we got rained on for a little while), most of the garden was in bloom and the flowers were spectacular. There were lots of tourists there, which was to be expected, but it's a lovely spot.

These guys were too funny. The rooster in the center
has David Bowie hair! Haha.

The pond in the back section of the gardens.

Papa and me!

On Friday morning, my parents headed out to Chartres to see the famous cathedral and I headed out to CDG to pick up my sister and bro-in-law for our next week of French adventures.

To be continued!