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The mighty
Bosphorous River winds through
Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) joining Europe with Asia.
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Modern
tram near our hotel in the Sultanhamet district of Istanbul. Is this nice
or what? We spent five days. They have wonderful McDonald's with clean
toilets, something most appreciated by all ladies throughout the Middle
East.
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This
beautiful mosaic of Jesus is inside the wondrous St. Sophia Church of
Istanbul. The 14th century church is badly in need of repair, but scaffolding
indicates on going efforts to maintain it. Many of the elaborate mosaics
were in the process of restoration, but this artist, several hundred years
ago, showed us Jesus as if we were seeing him in person 2000 years ago.
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Plenty of
smiling faces in this Pizza Place. The small Turkish style pizza is made
with spices, not cheese & sells for about $1 US. One delicious option
is rolling them with fresh lettuce & vegies inside.
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In central
Turkey, near Cappadocia , the terrain if covered with these volcanic rock
formations which look like fairy castles. Notice the openings in the rock
structures at lower center. About 700 years ago, Christians lived here
to avoid persecution. They carved dwellings, churches, and entire cities
within the soft stone. One such city we visited was dug seven stories
deep, complete with living areas, stairs, ramps, as well as light and
air shafts. It's possible that two such cities are connected underground
by this incredibly ingenious system. The excavation continues.
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traveled across Turkey on board these luxury Mercedes busses, with satellite
TV and food service attendants like airlines. It was so pleasant that we
chose to continue from Istanbul to Athens, even though a portion of that
route was included in our Eurail passes. While on this leg of the journey,
we watched the Turkish soccer team win the European Cup in a shoot out with
England. Of course, the entire bus erupted in joyous celebrations. It was
quite a cultural experience. |
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