The dancing

Part of Jacob's excitement to return to Turkey was a chance to practice the belly-dancing skills he learned the first time he was there (see video on this post). I haven't been able to get my video to post from this last trip, so I'm posting Mike's photos. Great photography, Mike. And to both Mike and Jacob: great dancing. :)

It was a competition, and Jacob made it to the final 2. He was defeated by the Dutch man, but the prize was a personal dance by the gorgeous belly dancer. So I was fine with Jacob not winning. :)
[If you can actually view the below video, it's the point where Mike was eliminated from the competition.]

Man-date

We're good friends with Becky & Mike, which is why it was great to spend 10 days together. But Jacob and Mike seemed extra-close. Here are just a few of the many photos of their togetherness.

Turkish delights (markets & bazaars)

We've blogged about markets before, and we love visiting them because they're such a rich cultural experience. We were especially looking forward to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and it really was incredible. We also visited the spice market there, which was a highlight of the entire trip. At the Grand Bazaar we bought Jacob a new wedding band (he lost his a few years ago, and we need to replace it because women keep asking him out!). Here's a photo of the little impromptu ring ceremony we had in the middle of the crowded bazaar. Here are a few more photos...

spices and tea at the spice market

Turkish delight (of course)

dried fruit (and candy in the background) at the spice market

pottery from the Blue Mosque's bazaar

and honey from the weekly market in Marmaris

Istanbul (not Constantinople ...or Byzantium)

Let me just start by saying that we LOVED Istanbul. It's such a fascinating, wonderful city. And I have to confess it was never on my list of cities to visit, but when Jacob went to Turkey in 2008 he decided he really wanted to visit Istanbul someday. I'm so glad!!

We started our tour of Istanbul with a visit to the Hagia Sophia (above), the most important example of Byzantine architecture in the world. It started out as a Christian Orthodox basilica in the year 360, then was converted to a mosque when the Ottomans conquered (then) Constantinople in 1453. Since 1935 it has been a museum, and it retains both Christian and Muslim elements. (It's nothing special from the outside, but inside...) You can see from the above photo that the dome isn't exactly round anymore.
Below is a portion of the Deësis mosaic, one of the many impressive mosaics in the Hagia Sophia. I really like the depiction of Jesus' face here.
Then we toured the Blue Mosque. This place is unbelievably impressive, both from the outside and inside. The tiling inside is exquisite. As part of our organized tour we saw a rug-making demonstration. Dad, this photo's for you! I'm sure you would have been drooling over these. They really are beautiful. And apparently all hand-made.I took the below photo as I stepped out of our hotel. This is what a typical street in Istanbul looks like, and we enjoyed watching these boys play. The people in Turkey were among the kindest we've ever met; they went out of their way (sometimes MILES out of their way) to help us, and they were just so nice.

Ephesians

If you know Jacob, you know he's not fond of ruins, but he was excited about Ephesus, and we both really enjoyed it. During Roman times it was the second-largest city in the Roman Empire and an important commercial center. We were also interested in visiting Ephesus because of Paul the Apostle’s time there in the New Testament. Also, it’s widely accepted that Mary (mother of Jesus) spent the rest of her life near Ephesus after Jesus’ death. [We did visit the supposed site of her house, but it wasn’t even picture-worthy.]

Below, Jacob scaled the wall to give this statue a head; and (below that) as I was contemplating how to get off the column, Jacob took a photo where you can see a good angle of the baby bump.

A day on the Aegean

After we got to Turkey [and had the most fascinating cab ride imaginable] we spent a lazy day on a boat trip. The boat stopped at a few deserted little coves where we got out to swim. It was so beautiful!

Jacob and Mike enjoyed diving off the top deck of the boat. I love these photos of Jacob diving. Notice Mike taking photos from the lower deck. :) (PS-We realize many of you have tuned in to this post just to see photos of Jacob in his speedo. So sorry to disappoint. He didn't don it at all on the trip!)

Cappadocia

During my last weekend in Turkey I went to Cappadocia, a region of the country filled with natural wonders. When I arrived in Turkey, everyone told me that I had to visit Cappadocia. I wasn't able to find an on-base tour, so I booked with an off-base company downtown. It was a lot of fun, even though everything was in Turkish.

Volcanic activity formed the region and it's unique because of how soft the rocks are. Wind and rain have created beautiful rock formations above ground, and the soft texture has allowed for the construction of shelters underground. The picture above is of me in Kaymalki, an underground city that provided refuge to villagers during attacks from invading armies. It was amazing because the this was no small network of rooms and passageways; it was an underground city!

After visiting the underground city, we went to a castle built into the highest peak in the region. The view from on top of the mountain was great (The very first picture on the post was taken from there.).

After visiting the castle our tour group had an amazing lunch at a local restaurant. I really enjoyed most of the Turkish food I ate during my visit, however I would say that their bakery goods and desserts left something to be desired. After lunch we continued to enjoy the sites around Cappadocia. The photo above is of a common rock formation in the region. Let's play a game; post what you think the formation is called. The winner will receive a treat from the other side of the pond.

In the evening the group enjoyed traditional Turkish entertainment. It was a lot of fun to see everything from whirling dervishes to belly dancers. There were opportunities for audience participation and the group I was with were always eager to volunteer me. I did a lot of dancing that night. The video above is of me with the belly dancer (sorry, no sound--but still worth watching). I competed against four other men. Needless to say, I won and therefore got to do a solo dance.

The next day we went to visit the Goreme Open Air Museum. This particular open air museum is made up of churches that were built into the rocks between the 11th and 13th century. The murals inside were rarely complete because pilgrims used to chip the paint off and drink it for its healing power.


After visiting the outdoor museum, we went to learn about making rugs. It was amazing to see the amount of detail that went into a hand woven Turkish Rug. Some of the larger rugs can take six months for one person to complete. Included in the rug tour was a silk making demonstration, totally fascinating.
Eventually we made our way back to Adana. We returned Sunday evening and I was able to see the Sabanci Mosque lit up at night. It was so beautiful that I returned on Veterans Day to get pictures.

Following Peter and Paul (...Cont)

Rachel gets another week off while I continue writing about my adventures in Turkey. On Sunday I went to Tarsus, the place where the apostle Paul is from. I wasn't able to find a tour group going, so I convinced a taxi driver to take me and a coworker around for $100. Tarsus is only about 30 minutes from where I am working. As you can see from the picture above, it is very dry.
The first place we visited in Tarsus was Paul's home (supposedly). I am standing next to the well at Paul's house. From what I read, the water level does not go up or down and the water has healing powers. The well was covered, so I couldn't tell you one way or the other. Next to the well are excavated ruins. They are covered with glass and the pictures were not worthy of the blog.

Our next stop was the ruins of an old Roman road. The road dates back to Paul's time, so he would have used it while traveling through Tarsus.
Paul was not the only celebrity to travel through Tarsus. The picture above is of me in front of Cleopatra's Gate. Tarsus was surrounded by a city wall and this is the only gate still standing. From what I read online, the city used to be right on the Mediterranean. Cleopatra would have used this gate when visiting Marc Antony. The plaque at the gate casts doubt that this was the actual gate. It could have been, but I'm pretty sure they renamed it that because it was the only gate still standing.
Our last noteworthy stop was at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. There is a large Mosque outside the entrance to the cave, and I'm pretty sure I was one of the very few non-Muslims there. There are many versions to the story of the cave, one of the similar themes is that seven men went into the cave and fell asleep for 309 years. The Christian-based story tells of early believers going there to escape persecution. However, the Qur'an also mentions the cave, and therefore it is important to Muslims.

Following Peter and Paul

Rachel gets to take the week off from the blog. Unfortunately, that means you get me. I am working in Turkey for the next couple of weeks. I went on a few adventures this weekend and wanted to share some things with all the blog readers.

On Saturday I went to Antioch (Antakya), Turkey. Along the way I drove by a few interesting places...

• One of the first places the tour group drove through was the battleground of the Battle of Issus, where Alexander the Great defeated the Persian ruler Darius III.



• Genoese castle and Ottoman caravansary. The picture below is me in front of the castle.

• The very spot (according to the tour guide) where Jonah was vomited by the whale. Today there are just remains of a Roman church built to commemorate the event.



• The Belen Pass in Belen, Turkey. A Pass that Apostles would have gone through while traveling through Asia Minor.

When we reached Antioch (the place where believers first became known as Christians), we got to go into St. Peters. It is actually a cave where early Christians went to worship. The front of the cave was built much later, and it is what I am standing in front of below. Peter, Paul and Barnabas are mentioned in the Bible as having been in Antioch. The cave contained a small passage believed to be used by Christians to make a quick escape from persecutors.

Next, our group went to Daphne, Turkey. It is named for a beautiful young lady chased by Apollo, son of Zeus. When Apollo caught Daphne, she turned into a tree which is today known as the Daphne tree (from which soap is made). We visited a waterfall which is apparently the exact site where the chase took place. The story goes that the waterfall was formed by Daphne's tears. An interesting side note is that a lot of Greeks and Romans lived in Daphne. Greco-Roman wrestling was created in Daphne, not in Greece or Italy.

While in Daphne we stopped and had lunch in a local restaurant. I really enjoyed the fresh bread with such toppings as butter with honey and hummus.

Our final stop was at an archaeological museum. The museum was mostly mosaics that they have uncovered around Antioch. A lot of the mosaics were not completely intact. I'm providing a picture of one mosaic that was completely intact. Be careful, it is rated X for extra revealing.