Eastern Europe Trip
After 5 days of partying at Sunwaves in Romania, we rented a car just across the border in Bulgaria and drove to Shepka, a rural town near a communist monument in the mountains called the Buzludzha.
Our host in Shepka suggested we visit a nearby Russian Orchodox church
I purchased the image of Saint Petka and paid 5 lei ($1.25 USD) to take these photos
Cat's of Bulgaria
Church bell ringers: the first job to be lost to robotics?
Sofia, Bulgaria
Night train to Istanbul
Saint Petka protected us through the slow Bulgarian/Turkish border crossing
Streets of Istanbul
Our hotel was two blocks from Taksim Square, which in 2014 was involved in the 4 million strong protest against a far right nationalist conservative president who seized power and rewrote the Turkish constitution. The protests were crushed by force and over 8,000 people were injured, President Erdogan remains in power for his 15th year.
Tourism Police
Learning some Turkish
The Basilica Cistern held 100,000 tons of water as an aqueduct system
Medusa
Cellular automaton patterns all over the place at the Persian Carpet Museum
The Hagia Sophia
Inside the Hagia Sophia
The Blue Mosque
Inside the Blue Mosque
Hotel roof view
