Emily and Mitchell in the USA

Last week we went on a brand new adventure to a whole different place! We went to Oman in the Middle East, and area neither of us had ever been to.  We had a great time and thoroughly recommended for an exciting getaway!  We arrived in Muscat at about 4am so the first thing we did was go to bed. We woke up for breakfast at the hotel and then went back to bed for a few more hours. We woke up at 1pm and decided to finally start the day. We went for a walk through the local area to orient ourselves in this new country. After 25 minutes, we reached the sea and the main touristy section of this part of the city. We wandered around and came up with a game plan for the next day when we had a full day to explore. We did go and visit the Mutrah Souq (market) and I got a little bottle of perfume and was offered so many pashminas. It was indoors and all the vendors were waiting outside their little shops to invite you in. They all said hello and welcomed you to look in, but weren't pushy...

After our trip to Oman we stayed a couple of days in Istanbul on the way back. We flew in in the afternoon and got the metro to our hotel, right in the historic district. After a day of travelling, and the rain coming down hard outside, we had dinner in the restaurant underneath the hotel and went to bed early.  The next day we were up early, ready to go and explore the city. Breakfast, while included in the hotel rate, was not actually in the restaurant that was connected to the hotel, the person on desk took us outside and around the corner and across the road to another hotel.  We found our way back and began the day. We started by finding Sultanahmet square, where the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are. The Blue Mosque was free, so we went and looked inside there first. There were cats everywhere in this city too, even inside the mosque! We then crossed the square to see the Hagia Sofia. This was ticketed entry, but we got to see the inside of the mosque from the balcony, and...