Turkey Last Day

Our stuff is all ready to go we had breadfast and a last mad dash for souveigners. Shin wanted a shirt, we ended up walking all the way to the Spice Bazaar but didn't find anything. Took the tram back up to the Bazaar district and found a small store near the hamam where we picked up a shirt for himself and his dad. Back to hotel, thought I wouldn't make it because something is giving me Montezuma's revenge, hope I can hold it off, got a long day ahead. Took a taxi to the airport only 30TL. Had lunch in food court after checking in.

Wandered around the airport then went to Gloria Jeans for coffee. While we were sitting there we saw probably thie funniest thing I've seen in an airport. Suddenly from out of no where a little motorized mini bicycle with training wheels came zipping by. And I mean zipping it went by so fast we almost missed it, and it was making the funiest sound with the trainging clicking onf the tiled floor. Nest to the gate we got here so early but I'd rather be early than late. While sitting at the gate we saw another strange thing there was a group of men dressed in what looked like 2 bath towels one on top and one on the bottom. figured they must be on a pilgrimage because there flight was going to Mecca/Jeddah.

All in all this was a very good trip. Could have shaved off a day or two. If I were to do it agbain I would leave out Konya, and maybe one less night in Istanbul. The other change then would be to fly from Izmir to Cappadocia. I don't have much reflection but I really enjoyed the trip and would love to go again.

Turkey Day 16

We decided we should go see what was written up as one of the most important mosques in Istanbul, Suleymaniye Mosque. After making a few wrong turns we came on an entrance but it didn't seem like many people were here. We entered into a small transcept and we asked the guy how we could get to the main hall and he proceeded to tell us that it was closed for a year for renovations. We weren't really sure that could be true so we walked around looking for the main entrance. We thought we had come in the back. We ended up coming to a place that we thought was the main entrance, we walked in and realized when the same guy came out and asked us to donate money again that we had just walked completly around and had come to the same place.

From there we walked to the Spice Market.

I really think this is a much better place for shoppingthan the Grand Bazaar. More compact, not as crowded and better prices. We even found a few stores that had posted prices, 2 of these had people that had lived in Japan and the owner of one was married to a Japanese lady. I was surprised at how much Shin bought, I'm sure part of which was the fact that he could speak Japanese, and he even paid at the 2 stores in yen.

Back to the store aching from walking, rested a little then off to the little restaurant that served Ayvalik tost. Basically it has meat, cheese, french fries, and a kind of potato sald, tomato, on a hot pressed grilled sandwich. Very good.

Took the tram and headed to Taksim next. Today as we walked down the street we got to go into 2 of the large old churches that remain in this area. The first one that you can see from the square was I believe a Greek Orthodox church. Didn't think we were going to be able to get in, but 3 other tourists also happened along and the gatekeeper came and eventually let us in. It was really beautiful. The next one was St. Marys Church. It was wide openwith signs that said this is a place of prayer. It was good that we came back, on Sunday the doors were closed and we were told we could not go in. The main street through this are was much busier than it had been on Sunday which I thought was a little unusual. Caught the second cable car thing down the hill, walked across the bridge and then back to the hotel on our way back we stopped into a Turkish Delights shop that had been around since 1777. I bought another box of goodies. Back to the hotel and rested till about 7 and then out for dinner. Shin seemed to be tired of the food he said he wanted to eat Curry Rice and I said I don't think that is going to happen. Then he said pasta sounds good, so off we went in search of pasta. So we found 2 places with pasta and one with fish, so we opted for the one with both pasta and fish. They asked us if we wanted to go on the roof terrace, which we did, but which was maybe a mistake. Tll the prices were about 10TL more than the smaae menu they had shown us downstairs. The one good point was that the view of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia was spectacular, and the night that I had been looking for of Aya Sofia. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but I borrowed Shin's and got one good shot.

Bought some tea on the way back and picked up one of the candle lamps. This is our last night. It has been a good trip.

Turkey Day 15

Headed to Eminonu to take a Bosphorus cruise. We almost got a private tour but we ran into the girls we had met in Cappadocia, they said they were taking the public cruise so I told Shin even though that one was longer let's just do it.

We we relaxed looking at the beautiful buildings. At Yenikoy there were a row of beautiful old wooden houses many with restaurants, very beautiful. Arrived around 12:00 at the last stop before the Black Sea. Grabbeda mackrel sandwich which was much more delicious than the one in Istanbul. Hiked up an old castle with great views of the Black Sea. Hiked bacfk down got something to drink and waited to board the boat back which leaves at 3.

Got good seats on the right side of the upper deck sowe were able to get good pictures with unubstructed views right from our seats.

After getting back we visited the New Mosque and then the Spice Bazaar. I think the Spice Bazaar may be the better shopping place. Need to go again and pick up some more stuff. By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 6, Long but relaxing day.

Wanted to go to the sandwich place we had eaten at the other day but they had closed for the evening. I guess it is just a lunch time thing.

Bought a small watercolor painting on the way back to the hotel, I have had my eye on it for a few days. I think this will probably be my last purchase for me. Shin bought 2 candle holder lamps, 25TL each. I think thses light that we have seen all over the city are beautiful, but at the same time their beauty may be in the sheer number of them, so I'm wondering if just having one is really worth it.

Turkey Day 14

Day 14 took us to Topkapi Palace.  Got there early which was great because by the time we were finished the lines were incredible.

It was very interesting, we did pay the extra to go into the Harem or Private Quarters, which was worth it because it again kept the numbers down and also it was very nicely maintained. The kitchens were closed so we didn't get to see the porcelain collection. There is a very impressive jewel collection. One was the 86 carat spoonmakers diamond. It is said to have been found in a rubbish heap and bought from a scrap merchant for 3 spoons.

Back to Sultanahmet for a cheap lunch, we found a place that had toasted sandwiches, then back to the hotel for a quick rest. Around 3 we headed out to the Grand Bazaar which is very interesting but at the same time for shopping I wasn't that impressed. Lots of the same stuff. And I couldn't find the t-shirt that I was looking for.


We ended up buying t-shirts along the tram line at a place that was selling things with prices marked. All very good deals, just not too sure about the quality. Went back to the shops along side the Blue Mosque, Shin bought some bracelets and I looked at some pillows that I thought I might go back and purchase, but definitely not at 40TL each.

Around 6 we headed out to Cemberlitas Bath. This one dates back to 1584. After paying for the traditional experience, 55Tl, we went to the 2nd floor where we were shown to a room to change or should a say strip down and through a towel around us. Once wrapped you head back downstairs through the lobby so you better have your wrap secure. They gave us bath mitts and a bar of soap to give to the attendant to use. You lay on the marble slab and wait your turn as they wash people all around you. Got a good scrub and thorough washing. I have to admit the technique at the hotel in Cappadocia was better, but this was a very cool experience. The building was very nice and it felt more just like a working bath, maybe except for all the foreign guests. Totally relaxed and ready for bed, on the way out I bought one of the bath wraps just for the memory, don't think it will be to handy at the baths in Japan.

Turkey Day 13

Awake at 6 to breakfast at 7:15.  Ate leisurely and since it was a little overcast we went to the roof for breakfast.  Took some time to write and just enjoy the view.

Left hotel a little after 9 headed to Church in Taksim. Taksim and the road that leads there was all the rage in its hey day.  This was the place to be seen when the Orient Express was at its peak.  Beautiful old buildings line the street with passages that branch off into the neighborhood.  We were headed to Istanbul Union Church, located in the old chapel of the Dutch Embassy.  It was a nice service a contemporary blend.  They didn't have a piano of organ but had keyboard, flute, trumpet and guitar.On the way there we passed 2 other old Churches.  One a beautiful Catholic church that looked like it was Franciscan, and another off a side street that was now a restaurant.

Church was at 11, and our directions were a little off but we found it anyway.  The pastor, who was originally from South Africa, spoke from Jeremiah.  Where both Israel and Judah are called on for turning away from God.  Israel is unrepentant, but Judah is, although not whole heartedly.   Israel ends up being praised.  Basically he said that God calls us to obey him, and to love him but if we don't do it completely, with all our heart, we are no better than the people of Judah.  We might go through the paces week by week, but if what we do doesn't change our heart, what good is it.

We walked back up the street to get lunch at a place that we had seen that had sandwiches.  the neat thing was that it was inside one of the old buildings and in the 2nd floor seating area you could clearly see the old architecture, it was beautiful.  then we went to look for the Avrupa Passage on of the most beautifully preserved and architecturally interesting passages, or so says LP. Being sunday there seemed to be few people out and about in this area.  From there we walked to Galata Tower, went to the top and enjoyed wonderful views of the city.
Then we set off to find Saints Peter & Paul Church, but ended up finding the Jewish Synagogue instead. this area of the city seems to be very trendy, maybe artsy and popular with young musicians. On the way to the tower we bought fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, it was very good but there was a lot of pulp and seeds, that you had to spit out as you drank it.

Eventually found the church that we were looking for but it was closed.  Walked down the hill and  back across the Galata Bridge.  Lots of people were out fishing.  When we got across the bridge the people were swarming around the boats selling the fish sandwiches, and in the underground tunnel to cross the street it was wall to wall people.  Walked all the way back to the hotel and ended up taking a long nap.

Around 6 went out in search of dinner.  Ended up eating at Pasha a small restaurant near Shultanahmet tram station.  We decided on this place because they served the pot stew dish that we missed out on in Cappadocia.

Crashed back at the hotel very tired but ended up watching a little bit of 24.

Turkey Day 12

Arrived in Istanbul around 7:10 at Haydarpasa Station, a beautiful old train station on the Asian side of the city.  We exited this building and immediately to the left was the ferry to the european side of the city.

It is a very beautiful ride to the other side of the city.

This is a view of Suleymaniye Mosque what is supposed to be the most important mosque in the city.

We got off at Eminonu at the end of Galata Bridge.   We decided to walk along the tram way to Sultanahmet and back to the hotel, probably about 30 minutes walk.  We left our bags at the hotel, we had a message that Eunice had tried to call us so we got ahold of her and decided on our mtg. place.  We ended up arriving almost exactly at 10 where we thought we were supposed to be but no Eunice.  Bought a phone card and then tried to call, took about 4 attempts before I had to ask how to dial the number.  She wanted us to be at the metro station, but we had gone to the train station, because that was the only one that was on our map.  She figured out what had happened and headed to the train station and we finally met and headed to Starbucks and talked for about an hour.

We ended up walking back past the train station then to the ferry dock and caught a ferry to Kadikoy, and from there we got another ferry that stopped at Haydarapasa, then back to Eminou.  We were back in Eminonu just in time for lunch so we stopped and had one of the famous fish sandwiches.

We walked back to the hotel with a brief stop at Sirkeci station to ask about the Dervish show there.  the man at the information booth said that it was that night and not Sunday and that it was 35 TL, or at a Hamam for 40TL, and since we had already seen it and weren't sure if we would be able to take pictures we passed.

We ended up crashing at the hotel and slept for a little over an hour.  shin turned on the TV and Desperate Housewives was on in English.  After I pulled myself away from the TV we headed out for dinner, and we ended up stopping at a small restaurant along the street up to the Blue Mosque.  Had a variety of mezes and mixed grill it was way more than we really needed to eat but it was really good and came to 60 TL not a bad price.  We ended up0 just heading back to the hotel and I was asleep by 9, I couldn't keep my eyes open.

Turkey Day 11

Didn't sleep well and up early, the only plus to that is I was able to to see the hot air balloons again, they are a beautiful sight as the sun comes up though it was hard to get any good pictures because you had to look into the sun rise to see them.
Had breakfast and got ready to leave, I talked to the hotel staff and they told us to just wait out by our rooms and someone would be by to pick us up.  I asked if they could come by 9:40, we had a 10:00 bus to catch and that would give us plenty of time.  Well by 9:50 no one had showed up so I ran down to the other part of the hotel and the staff was outside, and when they saw me they were like, "No one has come?".  They scrambled around and about 9:55 someone came to get us.  Well it didn't make that much difference because we got there and they said that the bus would be about 20 minutes late.  After it arrived we were told this was not our bus to Ankara but a shuttle bus to Nevisher.  We arrived in Nevisher and had to wait again the bus was not there yet.  When it finally arrived we got our stuff on and the bus left the station headed up the road and turned around heading us in the right direction but stopped when it got in front of the bus station again where we waited for another 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes we left again only to drive just a little ways and stop again.  We were assuming that we would be in Ankara by 2, but it was well after 3 when we finally did arrive.

When we got there we hopped on the metro to Maltepe station and from there walked about 10 minutes to the train station.  We got our train tickets, put our stuff in a locker, which was an ordeal in itself, and caught a taxi to the Museum.

The Museum was very interesting, but I'm not to into museums, I'm sure if we would have had a guide it would have been more interesting.  There were a lot of beautiful displays and the interesting thing most of it you could touch if you wanted to.  I thought I should have stood on the pedestal next to this statue and put my arm around this statue, but I thought maybe better not.
From the museum we walked to the Citadel of the city, the oldest part of the city.  It was still walled and the shops and house looked like they had been there forever.  This is not the best shot but maybe  you can get some idea of the feel of the area.

The narrow main street was lined with shops, some touristy some just everyday shops.  We headed down the hill and the area was again lined with quaint shops, it looked very touristy but at the same time some of the stores were like hardware stores, fabric stores, spice stores, and bulk wool stores, very interesting.  We searched for a restaurant, and ended up going into a place that the entranced was almost blocked by the staff sitting outside,  we went in and upstairs, it was a very nice restaurant, but we were the only customers.

Walked to the train station where we sat and waited for our 10:30 pm sleeper train to Istanbul.

Turkey Day 10

After breakfast we walked to the Goreme Open Air Museum just a little over a kilometer from the heart of the city. Goreme is a quaint village with lots of interesting little shops and restaurants, more about those later.  We walked for a good 2 hours through this old cave city that has many churches with some of the most well preserved Christian Frescoes in Turkey.  There were too many people so at times it was difficult to get into some of the rooms.  The best church was The Dark Church.  It was an extra 8 TL to get in but it was well worth it.  The most well preserved frescoes were here, and the extra charge kept the number of people down, so we were able to take our time. 

After we finished we headed back into town, Shin said he wanted a hamburger so we stopped in a little cafe just across from the bus station that had a sign outside saying they had a hamburger and FF lunch set.  Not sure exactly what kind of meat it was but I don't think it was beef, but it was doable.  Went back to the hotel rested and got a few pictures uploaded, but when I tried to do more I kept getting cut off in the middle, you could only log on the computer for 25 minutes at a time.  

Back into town for some shopping and supper.  There  is a store that is in the oldest Building in Goreme, it is one of the Caravanseri, or stations on the silk road, but you really cant see the building for all the carpets.

A guy who said we could call him Serge, and his helper, who he called Road Runner, followed us around.  Road Runner's job was to pull the carpets off the the piles for us to see, and then to put them back when we were done.  He was too funny, his boss would tell jokes about him and he seemed to understand the English but couldn't speak.  I think I would call him "macho shy", he would get embarrassed cover his mouth and laugh.  He seemed very interesting and very happy.

By the time we were ready to head out they brought out some food and insisted we eat something.  It was the kind of Turkish pizza we had eaten the night before but so much better. This store was nice and there were a couple of things that caught my interest but they were all old and I wasn't convinced yet that was what I wanted to buy.

Our next stop was the Sultan Carpet Shop, which is run by the same family that owns our hotel, they had a lot of really nice things, old and new, but even the old things were really nice.  I found 2 of the big seating cushions that I really liked, mostly because they were soft and not really scratchy.  Told them I would think about it and come back after dinner.

We ate at A'laturk.  Shin said he wanted fish, so we chose this place.  It was fancy and  probably over priced, we had soup a chef salad and sea bream.  Bill came to 78TL, way too much.

Anyway I decided I would buy one of the cushions, I ended up paying 120 euros, probably too much, but hey I may never get back here so why not.  Back to the hotel where I tried to upload more pics with no luck.

Here are 2 of the interesting restaurant names we ran across.

Turkey Day 9

Breakfast buffet at hotel, it is down a flight of stairs across the street and up another makeshift staircase past a mosque to get there, luckily it was worth it. Then we were picked up at the same place at 9:30 to go on the Southern Cappadocia tour.

We drove about an hour away to Ihlara and from there westarted our 7km hike along the valley floor stopping occasionally to see a cave church.

It took us about 2 hours to do the hike and we arrived at Belisirma and had lunch. They had the unprepared food on dishes covered with saran wrap which they brought to the table and you chose what you wanted to eat. On the tour there were 3 talkative Australian girls, a Japanese couple living in Shanghai, 2 Italians, and 2 more Europeans. Our guide was a young girl named Gocan, or Rosebud.
After lunch we drove to Selime and saw a church that was converted into a mosque. Next we stopped at a small underground city in Derinkuyu I believe. We went into 2 levels, this city, we were told, is the only underground city where you can see the toilet.
We got back around 6:30 and went toeat dinner at a pita place, they are calling it Turkish pizza. On the way back I stopped and bought a long sleeve shirt because it has been so cold in the evenings

At 9:30 we went to the Hamam at the hotel for our first Turkish bath experience. they sell pkg plans so we got the 70 min one which was in hind sight a mistake. I was so satisfied with the sauna, scrub and wash that I could have been finished gone back to the room and went right to bed, but we had a 30 minute oil massage that was just so so that I had to endure. I would like to check the difference at a real Hamam. The other surprise that we got was that this one was mixed, which I was not really happy with, but at least we were covered with a towel. Shin had a woman wash him, which I thought was very interesting, because I thought they wouldn't do that. The oil massages were also given by women. It was good to go here to understand how it all works, but know that I know better I would be much more specific on what I wanted. The most interesting part about the was was when they put the warm soup bubbles on you. They get a big bunch of bubbles and they dribble them on your stomach. It felt like this warm thing was warming up my inside, at first I didn't realize that it was the bubbles but figured out that was what the sensation was from, it was so interesting.

Turkey Day 8

Woke up to diarrhea, not a fun way to start off the day, but definitely this was my gift from Konya. Had breakfast, it is supposed to start from 7:00 and again we were the first ones there a little after 7 and it wasn't until 8 before they had everything ready. Ready to leave I decided to get on the Internet and Shin said he was going out to get some money from an ATM. After an hour he still wasn't back and I was starting to get concerned. About a quarter past 9 I decided to walk down the street to see if I could find him. I knew he had wanted to stop at the information center, so I walked there and they said he hadn't been there. I was having visions of him being mugger or something. Went back to the hotel and at about 9:40 he came sauntering back. We had agreed that we would check out and leave by 9:30, thus my concern. He had decided to go for a walk and got a little lost. We had at least a 45 minute trip to the bus station, fortunately it was ok and we got there in plenty of time.

The 3 and a half hour bus ride wasn't so bad except we didn't have a break until almost 2 hours in and by that time my intestines were grumbling. I was glad I was able to hold out, just the Swedish bitters medicine wasn't doing the trick so I took the other medicine I had.

We arrived got checked into our hotel in Goreme, The Sultan Cave Suites, part of the Kelebek Hotel.

They explained the different tours that they offer at the hotel, and the Hamam pkg they offer. We decided to do the 9:00pm Whirling Dervishes tour. We first walked into the village and came back to the hotel for an early dinner, then off to the show.

The show was in an old caravan stopping point along the silk road, a Caravanseri. It wasn't all that exciting but it was good that we went. I think I was more excited about being in this great old building along the Silk Road. No pictures were aloud so the hope is that in Istanbul we may have that chance. Back to the hotel and into bed my 11.

Turkey Day 7

Monday, today we visited the Aladdin Tepsi Mosque.  As you can see from the picture below the pillars are from the Roman period.  No doubt at some point in time the lined some Roman road in the area, and they were recycled and used in this building.  We stopped in a couple of other mosques on our way to the Mevlana Museum.

The Mevlana Museum is home to the Whirling Dervishes.  Unfortunately we were not able to see a performance, they are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we are leaving Tuesday morning.  The museum was really nothing that really exciting.  There was a display case with some hair from the beard of the prophet Mohammed, that is said that still put off a rose scent.  There were holes in the bottom of the display case for people to smell, I tried, no smell.

A man praying at a mosque in Konya

After a short rest we headed off to Silla, an old village on the outskirts of the city with a church that was dedicated to the mother of Constantine.  There were also cave dwellings and we saw what would have been a church carved in the mountain. Panaghia Church.

Then on a hill over a graveyard was the remains of still another church, The Tepe Church.  They say this church has healing powers.

On the bus to the city an old man just started talking to us.  We figureed he wanted to know where we were from when he looked and Shin and said, "Japon".  He also offered us an apple, I refused but Shin took one.

We decided to go to Konya Mutfagi for dinner.  They brought us menus, then a guy come over and said basically what he recommended we eat.  Over and over he said, "this is ....., this is...., this is .....  We just nodded and said ok not knowing really what we were getting ourselves into. Although we knew that we would be getting our favorite Cherry drink.

First was an Okra soup, tomato based with lemon that you squeeze on.  the required basket of bread and some yogurt were also brought to the table.  Next a cucumber and tomato salad, which also seems to be standard fare.  Stuffed grape leaves with yogurt sauce.  The main course consisted of 3 different Kebap's, lamb kebap, Tereet/ terete kebap in a yogurt sauce, and sebzeli kebap with an eggplant sauce.  

Finally 2 deserts, one was like a Japanese bean paste and the other a type of baklava, that was round and much bigger than what I expected. It all came to 21 TL a good bargain compared to the fast food meal that was 23 the night before.

Turkey Day 6

On day 6 we left the hotel around 10 and took a bus to Denizli, about 40 minutes away from Heiropolis.  This was one of the portions of the trip that I was really concerned about but Ozcan (John) helped us secure tickets, and even called ahead to the bus station in Denizli to tell them to be on the look out for a couple of people looking for the bus to Konya.  We found the ticket office, had to wait for just a little bit while the guy at the window finished  his breakfast, then it was off to secure a cup of coffee, or should I say "Nescafe".  I know you hear Turkey you think Turkish Coffee, but we found out that the Turk's don't drink that much coffee.  We did have Turkish coffee, but as we found out earlier that if you want regular coffee you have to ask for Nescafe and get instant coffee.

We had the last 2 seats on the bus I felt a little bit like they put us there on purpose, but I think it was really because we just got the last 2 tickets.  We set off and after only 30 minutes on the road we stopped and waited for 40 minutes while they washed the bus and I am assuming allowed the bus driver and people to have lunch and they also washed the bus.  Back on the road the male bus attendant came around and served us water, and coke or our favorite cherry drink.  Unfortunately we didn't realize that if you got the coke they didn't offer you the cherry drink.

The scenery along the way was basically the same lots of wheat fields.  We did come over a mountain and had a beautiful view of a lake, I think it was Egirdir lake.  We arrived an hour later than we had expected about 6:30, so all in all it was a 7 hour journey.  The first thing we did when we arrived was to book tickets for our trip to Goreme in Capaddocia on the 11th.

We headed out to the tram into the city.  Lonely Planet said that it was 2.20 for 2 people which didn't make sense.  As we waited and as the next tram was approaching a man standing in line showed us a card and indicated to us that we needed to buy one.  I rushed down to a little store and recognized the word "billet", ticket from looking through Shin's book.  I was able to buy a card that was for 2 rides on the tram.  They have cards with 2 rides for 2.50 TL or 5 rides for 5.50 TL.

After arriving in the center of the city we got off and walked to our hotel.  So far it is the nicest hotel that we have been in, I mean the first thing we commented on was the fact that we didn't have to push the elevator door open by ourselves.  After we checked in we ventured out to a little fast food kebap place for dinner.  They sell the meat by gram in 50 gram incements, with a choice of as the waiter said,  "meat or chicken", we assumed the meat was lamb.  The young boy did a good job speaking to us in English and at the end of the meal asked us if we wanted chya, which was brought in from somewhere else by an even younger boy.  The meal was 23 TL in all.  Lonely planet warns of food poisoning in Konya, so far so good, but more on that subject latter.

Turkey Day 5

Today we had breakfast at the hotel and then started out at 9:00, our fırst stop Laodecia. Actually I thınk thıs ıs the most ınterestıng stop we have made. Fırst off we were the only ones there, so we had the whole place to ourselves, and dıdn't have to fıght the crowds lıke ın Ephesus. Thıs cıty was avery rıch cıty that was noted for eye medıcıne and theır dyıng of cloth. Thıs ıs one of the only cıtıes that refused help from the Romans ın rebuıldıng theır cıty after the earthquake ın 62 BC. A very clear ındıcator at just how wealthy they were. Thıs ıs a new excavatıon only 6 years ın the makıng. They have made a lot of progress and the best thıng ıs that they have so much area to work wıth beıng there ıs no modern cıty ın thıs area and have all the room they want to dıg. Rıght now they have uncovered the maın street, and 2 cross streets. Along the maın street was a large water basın wıth fountaıns. Thıs cıty had 2 theaters, another ındıcatıon of theır wealth. Probably there were 100,000 people lıvıng ın thıs area. They had water sent from the nearby hot sprıngs of Pamukkle, they had to have a dual pıpe system because the pıpes would clog up from the calcıum deposıts from the sprıngs. The eye medıcıne and the hot sprıng water are the ımıgaes that John used ın hıs letter to thıs church.

Revelation 3:14-18

14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

These words would have drove home John's meanıng to them.

Nex to Pamukkle Hot sprıng, Hıeropolıs, and the Necropolıs.
The maın pools were open so we had good vıews of the water formatıons. They have dıvıde the area ınto three parts and open the water to the dıfferent areas at dıfferent tımes, gıvıng the calcıum tıme to harden and form the ınterestıng pools that the area ıs famous for. There ıs an Ancıent pool whıch I thınk John saıd was the source of the water. The bath here was destroyed ın an earthquake and the fallen roman pıllars from the maın road are stıll ın the pool and ıt ıs open to the publıc for swımmıng. The cıty has a very nıcely preserved theater probably the best that we have seen so far. There ıs also a church ın the area and above the church ıs a tomb that some belıeve to be that of Phıllıp, but ıt ıs really dıffıcult to say and there has not been any excavatıon on the tomb. They say the church was buılt on thıs place because they thought that thıs was where Phıllıp was martyred.

We walked back down the maın road through the Necropolıs or cıty of the dead. There were at least 2 tombs rıght on top of the waters and the calcıum deposıts. There was a small park and we found a few kıds that had come up from the vıllage and were swımmıng ın the pools there. They wanted theır pıctures taken and want to know our names. They would say, "My name ıs Ozman.", poınt to us and say, "My name ıs?". Thıs ıs real barefoot language learnıng, hey ıt wasn' the rıght thıng to say, but they got the ınformatıon that they wanted and there way of communıcatıng was very clear.

We got back to the hotel by one hungry and parched. We took a quıck pıcture wıth Ozcan, exchanged e-maıls, and then he was on hıs way back to Izmir. We decıded to have lunch at a small place that has only been open 3 months rıght across from our hotel. We had Adana Kebap. It came wıth french frıes and onıons and tomatoes, and of course they brought bread. We learned that the average Turk eats 107 kılos of bread a year. I thınk I have already started on my faır share of that. We had a coke and a cherry soft drınk that I have come to enjoy, hopefully I can stuff a sıx pack ın my suıtcase for the flıght back. Interestıng asıde about the restaurant. every tıme somethıng was brough to our table, ıt seemed that a new person would appear out of no where. I don' t thınk the same person came to our table twıce. It was rather strange.

Turkey Day 4

Day 4 took us to Ephesus, Sardıs, and Phıledelphıa.

Fırst we saw the Basıllıca of Saınt John. Thıs ıs ın the place of the fırst cıty of Ephesus. Hıs tomb was guessed to be here and thıs church was erected to honor hım. It ıs ınterestıng that at the Senate ın Ephesus ıs where he was sentenced to exıle on Patmos for hıs refusal to pay trıbute to the emperor.

On to the 3rd cıty of Ephesus where we see the remaıns that compromıse basıcally the largest excavated Roman cıty ın the World. They had a covered theater, whıch was rıght next to the Senate that I just mentıoned before ın reference to John.

As we moved on to the maın street we start to se some of the remaıng statuary. Fırst of note was Nıke the goddess of vıctory. It was togh gettıng a pıcture because there was a Polısh faıy that was busy touchg her breasts. The next was the god Mercury wıth wınged feet.

Along the road was a bath house that had been turned ınto a brothel. Next to that were toılets. These had water that ran ın a trough ınfront of the toılets. There was a hole also under the seat so the people would take a sea sponge on a stıck, dıp ıt ın the water ın front of them and then reach ın through the bottom hole and clean up.

the road leads down to the lıbrary that was rebuılt ın 1970. Of course sınce thıs was the capıtal of the regıon ıt was for sure that they would have the most extensıve lıbrary. The statues that are now ın the wall are replıcas, the orıgınals are ın Venıce.
I mentıoned ın an earıer post about recyclıng of the cıtıes. One cıty would be destroyed ın an earth quake and the people would just use these pıeces to rebuıld. We have seen thıs ın so many places. So matter how hard archeologıst work to preserve and rebuıld these cıtıes they can never get the job done to completıon.

Next to the lıbrary ıs the gate that leads to the Agora, or market place. Thıs would have been a gate that Paul would have walked through many tımes. The Agora ıs the place where the rıot ın Ephesus that ıs mentıone ın Acts 19 took place. And the theater that ıs mentıoned where they took hıs frıends was just just a lıttle bıt away, and a very ımpressıve structure.

Next stop Sardıs. Know for the Temple of Artemıs. The temple and a small church dırectly behınd the temple are excavated but the remaıng part of the cıty ıs stıll burıed. There ıs stıll extensıve work goıng on here now, John stopped to say hı to one of the archeologısts that he know and he showed us the head of a statue of a Roman Emperor, they have recently uncovered but nothıng about tıs ıs publıshed yet. I was able to get a good shoot even though ıt was pretty far away and ın theır compound.

The remaıns of the Temple are very ımpressıve, It was many years later when the Temple was ın demıse that the small church was buılt behınd ıt. Also ın Sardıs there ıs the remaıns of an old Jewısh Synagog that has been rebuılt, ıt ıs near the roman gymnasıum and near the old Roman road that basıcally ıs under the the current road and was buılt on top of a Bızantıne road.

Our last stop of the day was ın Phıladelphıa, where the only thıng that ıs uncovered ıs the remaıns of a church. The rest ıs all stıll burıed under the modern cıty.

Day 3 contınued

Second stop on our journey was Bergama (Pergamum), ın thıs cıty there was a temple dedıcated to Trajan, and a theater that ıs the steepest ın the area and would have seated about 10,000. Thus archeologısts would put the populatıon at about 100,000. There was also an alter to Zeus here, thıs ıs the probably what John refered to ın hıs letter to thıs church as Satan's throne. And thus the reference to eatıng food sacrıfıced to ıdols. The maın temple was of whıte marble as well as most all of the buıldıngs and monuments. To hoor people they would buıld a monument and engrave the name of the person on the stone. John also uses thıs ın hıs ımagery when he says I wıll wrıte your name on a whıte stone. Thıs area ıs also famous for Onyx so thıs combıned wıth the names on the monuments ın the cıty gave the people of the church very clear messages.

Down ın the modern cıty ther was also a Red Basıllıca that was orıgınally a worshıp place for an Egyptıan god. Later a church was buılt on the ınsıde of what was once a pagan temple.

We stopped for lunch at a small carpet factory were they showed us how they are tryıng to preserve the orıgınal technıques of carpet weavıng. Everythıng here was hand made. They showed us around and then served us lunch whıle they showed us carpets. We dıdn' buy anythıng.

Next stop Thyataıra, thıs was a cıty that had a mılıtary garrıson, there ıs very lıttle left of old Roman cıty, part of the old Roman Road and a church. The rest of the area ıs surronded by a modern cıty.

We arrıved ın Selçuk by 7 and checked ınto The Wallabıes Hotel. Our room had a vıew of part of the ancıent aquaduct that brought water to Ephesus, that ıs now a nestıng place for local storks.

Turkey Day 3

Aug 6th

We got up and went out and pıcked up some bread for breakfast, back to the hotel where we ate ıt and then waıted ın the lobby for our guıde for the next three days of our 7 churches tour. Our guıde was a lıttle late and just as the hotel staf brought us coffee our guıde showed up and we had to gulp down the hot coffee, whıch they refer to as nestcafe.



Ozcan ıs our guıde, ın Turkısh the c ıs pronounced as a j, and thus he saıd most of hıs frıends call hım John. He saıd he would stop and treat us to Turkısh coffee after our fırst stop, whıch would be the Agora of Smyrna, Agora refers to the market place of the cıty. He saıd that to share a cup of coffee wıth a frıend ıs to have a frıendshıp for 40 years.

The Roman cıtıes were buılt all ın pretty much the same fashıon. The Acropolıs, or upper cıty whıch was where all the offıcıal gov't dealıngs took place. The Agora that we see ın Smyrna ıs the offıcıal Agora, there would have been another one more geared for the daıly lıfe of the people. From the Agora ıf you look on the mountaın above ıt you wıll see a small rıng of trees that ıs where the castle of the cıty buılt by Alexander the great was. Thıs was the crown of the cıty. And so when John wrıtes to the church at Smyrna and says, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." They would have an ımage that they could clearly relate to. Next to the Agora ıs the Basıllıca. We have come to understand thıs word as referıng to a church, but orıgınally ıt's meanıng would have be "court". The market place and the Basıllıca were common everday places to gather, places of communıty. When Chrıstıanıty became the maın relıgıon and people wanted to actually have a place of worshıp they choose to turn the Basıllıca ınto the church. It ıs ınterestıng how that thıs kınd of practıce has contınued ın Turkey over the centurıes. That ıs why we see the great Chrıstıan Church of Aya Sofıa turned ınto a Mosque today.

day 2 contınued

Caught an 11:40 bus to the aırport, ıt was actually a lıttle early and we started out but ıt took us 40 mınutes just to drıve around the Sultamet area and pıck people up. We got to the aırport just before one and had to walk underground to the domestıc termınal, whıch I thınk very few people use, the passage that ıs. Got checked ın wıth no problem and had too much tıme to kıll and nothıng to do.

We had a lıght meal on the plane whıch was unusual I thought gıven that we had just a lıttle over an hour flıght. It was a small sandwıch and a small salad.

On arrıvıng ın Izmır we took a bus ınto the cıty, whıch ıs a very beautıful cıty that sıts on a cırcular bay and the vıew of the cıty comıng ın was just gorgeous. Fırst ımpressıon that I get of the cıty ıs that ıt ıs a modern busıness cıty. Had dınner at Denız, ıt was good maybey a lıttle prıcey but we had a spectacular vıew of the sunset over the bay. Our compıned meal came to 90 lıra, actually not too bad, but we really ordered conservatıvely.We had a varıety appetızer whıch we got to choose from a bunch of thıngs that they brought to the table. Vegıtables wıth olıve oıl and lemon, a squıd dısh whıch was oh so tender, and a yougurt dısh wıth a green vegtıble ın ıt. Thıs yogurt dısh was fantastıc.

Forgot to mentıon that when we got off the bus ınto the cıty we needed to take a taxı, but no one seemed to know where the hotel was. Our drıver went to the general area and he kept sayıng are you sure you have the name rıght, well at least I'm pretty sure that was what he was sayıng he spoke no Englısh, but when we fınally got to the hotel he gave us hıs card and I thınk was offerıng hıs servıces to us, probably a prıvate tour of the area, whıch I'm sure would have been a dısaster.

Turkey Day 2

Breakfast from 7:30, the restaurant has a beautiful terrace wıth a vıew of the Maramar Sea and the Blue Mosque. Buffet breakfast, met a Japanese couple that have been traveling around Turkey Hungary, and Greece. The breakfast was cheeses meats scrambled eggs lamb sausage yogurt cereals bread and cake. Sorry no commas, that key is in a strange place.
The hotel ıs on a back street that ıs beıng renovated but small hotels dot the area, but thıs is also an area were people still live. There is a park rıght outside the hotel that whe we walked by the previous nıght a boy called out, Michael Jackson. After breakfast we walked to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. The Blue Mosque ıis beautıful but all the wıres from the hangıng chandellers dıstract from the beauty. Aya Sofia is amazing. The most ınteresting thing is that this great church would be turned into a mosque. But what I'm learning is this kind of transformatıon is not unusual when you look back in history especially in this area.

Turkey Day one

Sorry pıctures will have to come later.

We arrıved in Istanbul about 7:40, vısa was just a matter of handing over $20. Passport contro also very easy, they took vbery little tıme wıth us. No customs checks, just walked right through. Driver was waiting for us he wasn't from the hotel I knew because when we got close he had to ask where it was. He literally flew ınto the city Shin checked his speed at one point and said he was going about 130 km. We arrived at the hotel by 8:45. Got settled in and went out for a short walk. We were just a few minutes walk from the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. Both of which were lit up. We walked around taking a few pictures, and were back to the hotel by 10:30.

Interestıng aside all the elevators that we have encountered here have doors that when you stop at your floor you have to push open yourself. When we first went up we stood inside waiting for the doors to open and they dıdn't, then the lights went out. Then the hotel staff person came a opened the door for us. This one had doors that opened on the insıde, but we have encountered some that don't.

We're Off

Shin & I Waiting at the gate.

Taking Off

Left the house at 7:35, of course I then start thinking, "Did I turn off the air?", luckily as I headed back I realized I forgot my pillow. Still made for the 7:49 train, but of course I was sweating profusly. No, I'm on the Narita express, this is just the start of a very long day. We have a 12 hour flight that leaves here at 12:50 and arrives in Istanbul around 7:00 this evening.