Magic Carpet Ride

I saw these awesome over dyed carpets via Apartment Therapy a while ago and just loved them. I work part-time doing antique rug restoration so rugs are always on my radar, and I've never seen rugs quite as crazy-bright as the ones at ABC home!

So with rugs on the brain, it made me think of our trip last year to Eastern Europe. Charlie Bravo and I stopped in a ittybitty town called Blagaj whose claim to fame is a 16th century Dervish Monastery right next to a huge cliff AND where the Buna River starts, out from underneath said cliff. It was pretty breath taking.



We were able to walk down to the river and use a very ancient and beautifully etched metal bowl to scoop up the clear water to drink. At first I was thinking "Um...how many people have used that thing?" and Chris is all "Dammit woman this is one-time adventure!" So I drank and I didn't die.



Before being allowed up into the rickety monastery we had to remove our shoes and cover our heads. It was fun looking pretty ethnic for a while.



All the floors were covered with bright kilims and with the whiteness of the walls, the dark wood moldings and the white doilies everywhere, it was quite serene.



On the way out I had to ask the lone worker there if the kilim runners were for sale as I was so ready to leave there with three of them, but they were used exclusively by the Sufi followers who came here for retreats, praying and whirling. I asked him in disbelief, "You guys really whirl up there?" (it was so small) and indeed they do. The man was so sweet and informative, we ended up buying some incense from him and a head scarf.