I know this post is LONG over due but here goes nothing!
It was a whirlwind trip in Turkey for the past week! We all had a blast but we were ready to get back to our home in Jerusalem. We had a hilarious tour guide, Bulant Aslan. He had an amazing Turkish accent that made the trip so much better! We packed in so many things in just 7 days, it was crazy!
Monday we went to an open air Palace in Istanbul (Topkapi Palace), the Blue Mosque, The Grand Bazaar (with 3000+ shops!) and went on a boat ride to Asia Minor. The city of Istanbul is divided between 2 continents, Europe and Asia. Fun fact of the day!
Tuesday we had a LONG bus ride to the city of Troas where the Trojan was supposedly took place. We saw the Trojan horse that was in the movie Troy. Brad Pitt wasn't there to give us a tour unfortunately!
Wednesday we went to Assos, the palace of Athena, which had an amazing view of the Aegean Sea. Then we went to the ancient city of Pergamum. After lunch we went to a Turkish rug co-op and were shown the process of weaving and dyeing the yarns in the rugs. Some of these ladies work on on rug for up to 10 months! After taking my Textiles class that was a highlight of the trip for me. I don't know about anyone else but I thought it was great! Our last stop of the day was Asklepion, where the Greek healing gods ruled back in the day.
Thursday we went to Ephesus and Miletus, 2 more ancient cities. After another long day of bus rides and touring we were all grateful for the natural hot springs and thermal pools that were at our hotel that night!
Friday we went to the Cotton Castle. It is a group of hot springs on the side of a hill that have over time turned the entire side of the hill white from all of the minerals. We didn't get to swim in them which was a bummer but that just gives me a good reason to go back to Turkey! Just up the hill from the Cotton Castle is Hierapolis, another ancient city with ruins and a Roman theater. After a while all of these cities started looking the same to me and I don't even know which one is which anymore!
We discovered that the Turks are all about buffets. At just about every hotel we stayed in and every restaurant we ate at, there would be an open buffet. I think i gained about 30 lbs. in the past week... ok probably not but we got pretty tired of the buffets! So, Friday night, instead of gorging ourselves with all of the many different options for dinner we asked the concierge for a good recommendation for authentic Turkish kebabs. We went to a little place just up the street and were not disappointed! The lamb was thinly sliced over a cut up toasted pita with sides of plain yogurt, tomatoes, and jalapenos. It sounds like a weird combination but all together it was like Christmas in my mouth!
Saturday was another highlight. We drove from Bursa to Istanbul and our first stop was the Hagia Sophia!! We were only there for about 45 minutes but I could have stayed there for hours! It was so beautiful and the architecture was stunning! After the Hagia Sophia, while we were en route to the airport we stopped off at another bazaar. I was so happy we got to do this because we hadn't had much time to shop since we got to Turkey. I bartered with one of the street vendors and got a screaming deal on some glass mosaic hanging lamps. I may have gone a little crazy on the purchases but you only live once right?!
Going to the airport was bitter sweet. I loved our time in Turkey but I was ready to get back to Jerusalem. I was not ready to get back to classes but so far it hasn't been too bad. It was weird to say that I was going home, as in home to Jerusalem. This was like a mini vacation within a vacation and I can't believe how lucky I am to have this opportunity.
The next couples of days we mostly relaxed and went out into the Old City. Wednesday night was out Arab Culture Night. It was definitely a highlight!! We all dressed up in our Arab garb and we first had two Imams come and demonstrate the call to prayer for us and described the meaning of it to us. It was really cool to see because we hear it 5 times a day but never knew what it meant. Next we had a traditional Arab dinner and it was sooo tasty!! After eating way too much we all went into the gym and were taught some Arab folk dancing!
Midterms are coming up so we have all been studying but of course that doesn't stop me from getting out into the city! Yesterday was a free day and it was interesting to say the least. We went around West Jerusalem and checked off some suggested sites by one of our professors. We were on our way to an Ethiopian Church and decided to cut through and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. I read about it in my tour guide book and it said that discretion was advised in going there because they don't like big groups. I was with a group of about 8 so we split up into 2's and 3's. It was very obvious that we were not wanted there as everyone was swearing at us in Hebrew! We decided to leave the neighborhood and go the long way to the church. As we were leaving a taxi abruptly stopped short and a man got out about 10-15 ft. away from us. He started speed walking towards us and all of a sudden he wound up and hawked a lugi on my arm! I didn't even know what to do! I stood there in shock for a minute and then got out of that neighborhood quick! I was pretty upset about it and we decided to make our way back to the Jerusalem Center for dinner. On the bright side, I guess not everyone that comes to Jerusalem can say they were spat upon by an Ultra-Orthodox Jew right?! Other than that experience yesterday, I have been loving every minute of being in Jerusalem. The people here, for the most part, are great, sincere and really want to welcome us to the city and help us.
Now that you are probably tired of reading my scatter brained thoughts, here are some photos from this past week. Enjoy!
P.S. Sorry for the weird layout on the pictures... I don't know what happened!!
 |
| Assos |
 |
| Bursa Mosque |
 |
| Women studying in the mosque in Bursa |
 |
| Rug Co-op |
 |
| Lindsey and I's dessert plate at one of the Turkish buffets! |
 |
| Kids in the Old City |
 |
| Arab Night |
 |
| Chloe and I |
 |
| Ephesus |
 |
| Goddess Nike |
 |
| Hagia Sophia |
 |
| Hagia Sophia |
 |
| Restaurant in Istanbul |
 |
| Topkapi Palace |
 |
| Blue Mosque |
 |
| Underground Cistern |
 |
| Grand Bazaar |
 |
| Fish dinner... YUM! |
 |
| Lindsey and I praying to the healing gods in Asklepion |
 |
| Ephesus Library |
 |
| Arab Night din din! |
 |
| Church of the Holy Sepulcher |
 |
| Church of the Holy Sepulcher |
 |
| Mayor of Jerusalem |
 |
| Cotton Castle |
 |
| Pergamum |
 |
| Pergamum |
 |
| Entrance to Topkapi Palace |
 |
| Troas |
 |
| Horse used in the movie Troy |
