Apparently We Like Seeing Old Stuff!

Since we only had one day to explore, we got up and out.  It was rainy all day long.  Luckily my friend told us to bring our rainboots.  The village roads are nothing but mud!

Isn't my friend's little house adorable?!
Her garden is to die for.

It doesn't hurt that their property is bordered by the ancient city wall!

Her street even goes right through one of the ancient gates!

This area is known for it's beautiful hand painted tiles.  So we started out at the local trade school to learn how they do it!

They had a beautiful garden, too.
Lucy found this Rose that was almost as big as her head!

Then we walked along the lakeshore for a bit.  We crossed the road and found ourselves between the the walls.  There is the super old city wall and the double fortification wall that, while still old, did come a bit later.  This city wall is one of the best preserved in the entire country, and for the most part, it's a double wall.

Having fun with my girls!

Double walls = double city gates

In this particular spot, archaeologists dug down until they found the original road!

Roman aquaduct

A mosque decorated with some of the beautiful local tiles

Museum and a mosque

Lucy loved watching the artisans work.

This used to be a religious school called a medrese.  The structure is a bit similar to a han- where a group of shops are in a u shape around a courtyard.

Now they have converted the old classrooms into individual retail shops for artisans and have a nice cafe in the courtyard.  They had so many BEAUTIFUL ceramics!  I could have spent a fortune!

My friend is a major walker.  So in the span of 6 hours we covered the entire village, had lunch, and visited with several of her friends who are artisans.  I also picked out a very special wedding present for Mindy and Travis!

By 5 o'clock we were pooped!  My girls (and me, really) are not used to walking quite that much!  Their little legs were on fire!  Ha!  We stopped for a quick coffee and treat, and then it was time to hit the road to come home.  We had a great time out in the village!