Turkey, turkey, turkey!

Really cool doors in the exterior

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to go to Turkey. I would have never guessed in my entire life that I would get the chance to travel the world and see so many wonders of the world. I wish I could write everything that happened and everything I learned at each site in the week I was there but it would take me all week. I will try my best to summarize all the highlights of my trip.

ISTANBUL

We flew in to Istanbul Sunday night and drove to our hotel. Even just driving to our hotel was an adventure, the city was lit up and all the beautiful mosques were glowing and the ones close to the lake shore were glistening in the water and it was just amazing. I just though, I'm in TURKEY! HOLY COW! We spent a day first at the Maquette Mosque which is soo beautiful. The lights were beautiful inside and it was a perfect way to start our trip. We went through the Grand Bazaar which is very famous and it was huge! I'm suprised we didn't get lost during our free time. We got on a boat on the Bosphorus, which was soo much fun, we sat on the top of the railings on the boat and what was cool was one side of the river was Asia and the other side was Europe. How cool is that! We then went to the Topaki Palace where the sultan lived and is now a museum. There were lots of cool stuff there like an 86 carat diamond on display. 86 carat!! We then went to the Basilica Cistern which was super cool. A group were playing reeds and the music went so well with the atmosphere and it made the experience even that more amazing. Then we walked a few minutes to the Hippodrome, which was where running and chariot races would occur around the middle which had many monuments. Only 3 are left but they are spectaculor. All of this was in one day, as you can tell we saw a lot and did a lot so it was a very exhausting day but it so amazing to see all these wonderous things just on the first day of our week trip!


Maquette Mosque

Shelly and I inside, the circular lights were so beautiful!



A niche facing Mecca



Camila and Heather!



Lights in the Grand Bazaar



That is a big gun and bullet.

Priscilla and I on the Bosphorus

With Rachel (faculty student), Rachael, Analise, and Rachel (if only I had the two other
Rachels in the picture with me too!

Rachel and I!



Asia and one side, Europe on the other.

Shelley and I

Bekah and I



Overlook at the Topaki Palace!

Basilica Cistern

Bad picture but had to get one with the Cistern in the background

The Egyptian obelisk in the Hippodrome

GALIPOLI

On our way south of Turkey we had extra time to see the Galipoli Battlefield Memorial. It was a place where WWI soldiers were killed. It was a really beautiful memorial and right by the shore so it was very peaceful. The grave stones are facing towards Mecca because a lot of the soldiers were Muslim. What was miraculous was this day was a bus day and it had been raining all day and if it continued to rain we wouldn't get to see this place. Before lunch, Jon gave the prayer and he asked for the weather to pass so we could see and after we ate lunch the sun was out and the clouds were gone and we got to come! Go prayers! I walked along the rocky shore with Melinda and we found really cool shells and rocks that we may or may not have put them in our pockets.

At the shore

It was so beautiful

TROY

Before we got to Troy we stopped at the Galipoli Battefield Memorial on the shore where soldiers had died in a unfortunate battle in WWI and a beautiful area was commemorated to them. The tombstones were facing towards Mecca because a lot of the soldiers were Muslim. We got on a ferry, which brought back memories with my family going on them all the time in Seattle, crossed the Dardenelles water between the Asia side and Europe side of Turkey, and got to Troy. Troy is the supposed or traditional place where the Trojan War occured, the one in Homer's Iliad, where Hector kidnapped Helen of Troy and Achilles and other warriors came to take back Helen and kill Hector. It was really cool to see all the old stone walls and it was fun to take pictures in the wooden horse.

Brooke and I (possibly where the wooden horse was wheeled in?)

Just acting strong (the girls felt left out because the boys were doing poses so we had our own picture)

The famous wooden horse

It was lots of fun!

ASSOS

Assos was probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. Paul in his second mission was coming home and Luke and other disciples were at the harbor to pick him up but he decided to walk the 20 miles to Assos (Acts 7). When I got there I understood why he would want to walk, it is soo beautiful and it's a perfect place to have alone time and ponder.

With Dwight and Melinda at Assos. Isn't it spectacular!

We were acting like columns and I think it's a really funny picture, especially with my hair.

In the theater at Assos

I loved the view so much!!

PERGAMUM

We set off on a tram up to a tall mountain where we went to the Pergamum acropolis. This had a Temple of Artemis, the Altar of Zeus, and the Trajan Temple all on one mountain. It was really cool to see all the ruins, and especially the Altar of Zeus (although there really wasn't much to see) because I had learned so much about it in my Art History class. It was really cool to see those three temples built in different time eras contrasting the history of each other but all in the same spot.

Melinda and I at Trajan Temple ruin, it was soo big!

Sittin' on a capital! (with Devery, Melinda, and Robin)

My roommate of the trip Sarah!

Pergamum had the steepest ancient Greek theater!

The Altar of Zeus with Robin. I love the rays in he background, which is kind of
ironic and contradictory because this place is known as the seat of Satan by John in Revelations, haha. But
awesome picture nonetheless.