Why I Hate Selma

Everyone, I hate Selma.

Oh, let me introduce myself. My name is Ashley, and you can call me the hater. I blog over at She's Come Undone, and Selma has nicely (or foolishly?) asked me to guest blog while she is away...which reminds me, I HATE SELMA!

Soooo, I don't really hate Selma, but she is currently visiting my favorite place in the world, so a more appropriate explanation is that I'm extremely green with envy.

Where is Selma right now, you ask?

Turkey! 

Instead of hatin' on Selma, I thought I could take this time to talk about the country that Selma and I adore, for those of you that may know absolutely nothing about this amazing place...

• Selma is currently chillin' in Istanbul, the only city that lies on two continents. This is due to the Bosphorus Strait, a old trading water-way that naturally separates Europe and Asia. 

• Turkey is about the size of Texas, but has over 72 million people living in it...whew! One thing you'll notice when you visit is that most people live in high rise apartments; there doesn't seem to be much room for houses.

• Turkey is a fabulous mix of old and new, as you'll be walking down the street and run across 1,000-year old buildings, ruins and walls. 

The outside of an old library in Ephesus, a place mentioned in the bible...now that's freakin' old! 

• Turkey is in a prime location that borders 8 countries, including Greece, Iran, Iraq and Bulgaria, and has been nicknamed the country "where the East meets the West." Also, it's almost completely surrounded by seas, including the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

Source

Enough with the facts, let me tell you a few reasons why I love Turkey: 

Turkish food is fresh and delicious! Comparable to Greek food, Turkish people swear by the Mediterranean diet, the healthiest diet in the world. Every time I visit, I eat a TON, but end up losing weight! This is because the Turks avoid butter and processed foods, and actually eat all their veggies: 

Also, the seas will romance you in Turkey. My favorite thing to do is hangout by the water while sipping on some tea and catching a little sun. It's perfection...

And my favorite thing about Turkey? BY FAR, the people! Turks are charming, friendly and community-oriented. They'll notice you sitting alone at a cafe and come up to talk to you to keep you company (something that has happened to me many times). And what is a country if not their people? 

So that's where Selma is, and I hate love that is she is hanging out in my favorite place in the world. Live it up Selma! And sorry if I've convinced all your readers to travel to Turkey with you next time (including me, of course)--you'll have to house all of us, sorry! Have some tea and simit for me. 

Oh, and we miss you (we definitely don't hate you). 

Love, 

Ashley