Turkey...the Country

      Last week, we took a week and traveled to Turkey. Immediately, I fell in love with the country, the people, the food (for the most part) and the sites. This country is so beautiful and intriguing. I don't want to totally bore you with the details, because nothing I say can describe it anyway. Just a quick overview though, we started our trip in Istanbul where we met our hilarious Turkish tour guide named Bulent. We visited some beautiful sights in the city such as the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. We also cruised along the Bosphorus Strait which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. 

      We traveled south and saw each of the Seven Churches of Asia referenced in the Book of Revelations. After visiting the sights, what the New Testament says about each city makes so much more sense than it ever did before. We saw ruins like Troy where Homer's Illiad is believed to have taken place, and Ephesus where Paul and John lived and taught the gospel. While in Ephesus, we had the unique opportunity to sit in the amphitheater there were the people once sat and shouted "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" for two hours during Paul's time. After a short lesson from our religion teacher, we stood on the stage and sang a hymn for a bunch of foreign tourists who clapped for us. It was incredible to think we were singing in a theater where 2,000 years earlier, John and Paul probably came to watch plays and shows. 

     We also visited cities like Miletus, Bursa, Pergamum, Hierapolis, Assos where the ancient temple of Athena once stood, and Nicaea where the Nicene Creed was developed by Constantine and the many bishops of the early Christian church. As Turkey is 97% Muslim, we visited a few mosques, and at some we had to wear head scarves.

      We had our fill of Turkish Delight (delightful, if you ask me), had a few strolls along the waterfront, and made as many Turkey puns as we could. It was wonderful in every way.  

Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night

Petting the "sheeps and lambs" as the tour guide said

I'm in a Tojan Horse...In Troy!

Ancient Troy

The Actual Horse in the Troy Movie

Representin'

Canakkale Near Ancient Troy

The Aegean Sea

My Muscles

Temple of Trajan at Pergamum

The Seat of Satan from the Book of Revelations. I'm the Devil.

Pleading with the God Asklepios to heal me of my allergies.

It worked! I'm healed. Sadly Skylar still has leprosy, poor dear.

Asklepion, ancient healing site

Using the bathroom in public. How embarrassing. 

Library at Ephesus

Amphitheater at Ephesus

My Roman Gladiator Friend

It's like facebook, only you eat there!

Outside a mosque in Bursa

Nicaea

In case you just don't want to leave, you can take a can of Istanbul air with you

Yeah, I ate that. It's a fish. It was looking at me. Gross.

Istanbul

Ferry ride across the Dardanelles 

Canakkale

Library at Ephesus

Athena's Temple at Assos