First full day in Turkey

DEAD TIRED. Not from jet lag, that worked awesome.

We have been busy. Yesterday our flight got in around 4:00pm and we hung out at the airport waiting for the groups flying in from Chicago for about an hour.

Got on a bus and headed into the city. Istanbul combines the elements of many cultures and times periods at the same rime as having a strong rich history as well as nice touches of the modern world.

After checking in to possible the most swanky hotels in all of Turkey, we had a nice meet and greet and then appetizers and some drinks on the balcony of our hotel. We are on one of the big hills of Istanbul and can see lots of the Bosporus River between the Marmara Sea (off the Mediterranean) and the Black Sea. Myself and a few others wanted to go see some nightlife and so we went out to Taksi Square and walked around and sat for a while to finish the Brazil and Chile World Cup Game.

Went to bed at 11pm and then up at 7 to get breakfast and get on the busy. Did I mention how fancy our hotel is? Fancy!!! Seriously it's pretty sweet.

After that we got on our bus and traveled back into the old part of town. We started at the Hippodrome/ Circus (where Romans had chariot races) and saw the two huge pillars that mark the center (one from Egypt and one built locally) then we headed over to the Hagia Sophia.

It is now a museum, but it had been a Church and a Mosque. So it has elements of both, which might be the only place in the world that does this on such a grand scale. Huge (20 Ft across) circles with holy names on them right next to a mosaic of Mary with Jesus on her lap. Incredible. Huge dome and amazing art work all around.

After this we went to underground cisterns (water holding tanks) and a massive empty space that has probably hundreds of pillars in about a foot and a half of water with fish living in it. The columns are from all over Turkey and SE Europe. They were stolen from pagan temples, so lots of different styles and designs. Two of the bases are sculptures of Medusa  (mythical woman with hair made of snakes).

After this we had a great very local lunch. (bean soup, yogurt with cucumbers, and local desserts. We went across the street to an active Mosque (During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan). Built to honor the Muslim leader of the Turks during the Crusades, Suleyman the Magnificient. Beautiful inside and outside. Very solemn place and peaceful even with the group of American tourist teachers wandering around.

Then we went to Choral Church. Impressive artwork depicting the lives of Mary and Jesus from the non-canonical book of James. Overall I would have preferred to stay at Suleyman's Mosque but or Hagia Sophia
We then went to a local art studio where they showed us a few very cool artistic skills that have been honed through generations. I got some really good pictures of street art outside (graffiti).

Then to an amazing dinner. More local cuisine: Turkish Tapas, a salad and noodle and cheese casserole (not at all mac and cheese, sorry Joanna it's 1000 times better than the blue box). Then a smokey eggplant purée with chicken and a tomato sauce. Finally, dessert of fresh food. The food was fantastic but the view was worth a million. Looking out over a relatively small gulf, the golden horn, and across to the old city, where we could see pretty much all of the main landmarks from earlier in the day.

Back to the hotel and out to watch the football match and finally to update you. There is so much more to tell but I can barely get my students to read a full paragraph so I'll be impressed if too many people got all the way through this whole post. Anyways, this is awesome and I only expect it to get better.

Thanks for checking in,  Hosçakal.

Last Minute update

We are finally at Washington DC's airport. After a 9 hour car ride of relative boredom we arrived and I think we are all getting hyped up for the trip.

We will be joining up with 18 others from around the US to tour Turkey. My immediate group is made up of four teachers and one administrator from NW Ohio. So far we mesh together very well. Lots of teacher talk and the like but they all seem like nice people that really care about teaching, their students, and social studies. Also, we all have an interest in world travel. This might be the most experienced group of travelers that I have ever been with. They all have tons of tips and ideas that have already helped out.

My plan was to try and sleep as soon as we got in the car this morning but unfortunately I just wasn't tired (stupid coffee!). I napped for a short while around 2pm for about 20 minutes but nothing substantial. Hopefully, I will sleep for a short time on the start of the flight. Considering it's 9:15 pm now and our flight takes off at 11:30, I'll have plenty of time before we leave to get all my turkeys in a row. We get in at 4:30 pm and the plan is to stay up until 11pm in Turkey. This puts me at staying awake 34 hours with only a few naps in between. It's worth it if I can regulate to Istanbul's time right away.

Couple hours to the flight!!! Here I come Turkey!!!

Pre-trip

Hi All,
   
Welcome to my blog for my upcoming trip to Turkey.

I'm going to be going on a tour around Turkey, hitting some of the biggest cities in Asia Minor. We'll see ancient ruins, one of the earliest settlements of humans, the modernization of Turkey, and a variety of monuments and museums that showcase the culture and past of the crossroads of the world.

 For this trip I will be
           - learning about the educational system
           - meeting the people
           - enjoying the culture
           - focusing on the architecture
           - tasting the food

Thanks to everyone who have helped me get ready (Mom, Dad, Ashley, Leo and of course my wonderful wife, Joanna.