Turkey in Photos

The city hall of Ephesus.

The library at Ephesus, which was the 3rd largest of the Ancient World.

Sophie, Zoe, and Etienne.

There were lots of cats everywhere.

I ate that! With the head and eyes on the same plate. Also, all the fish had lots of bones that we had to remove as we ate. But they were all really yummy!

The Temple of Apollo at Didymes, what would have been the largest temple of the Ancient World, but it was never finished because they converted to Christianity.

They put Medusa's head on a lot of temples, to ward away evil, I think...

Countryside by Milet.

The baths at Milet.

Entrance to the baths.

Milet.

Amphitheater at Milet. I learned the difference between "theater" and "amphitheater": "theater" used a hill or mountainside to support it while "amphitheater" was free-standing.

Fortress at Milet, with I think Vincent on the wall...

Surrounds of Milet, fun fact: the wife of Periclese (?) and lots of famous mathemmaticians and historians were born here.

Priene, which was located on a hillside in the forest.

The theater, which reminded me of Shakespeare in the woods!

We were there as the sun was setting, which was pretty magical.

Temple to I think Artemis, at Priene.

Hierapolis, the 2nd largest necropolis in the Ancient World.

The thermal spring and salt deposits by Hierapolis, Pukkale.

Exchangers! (Cassey, me, Mauricio, Rogerio)

Me, Cassey, Sophie, Zoe, and Etienne.

The promenade that goes around with good views of the valley below the springs.

Temple to Aphrodite at Aphrodisias.

Stadium at Aphrodisias that could hold 35,000 people!

In the Ancient Greek Empire, having a second toe longer than the big toe was apparently considered an ideal, so basically my feet would've been considered gorgeous.

The titles of statues were funny... "Governor with stubble beard and Constantinopolitan hairstyle."

The governor himself.

Pergamus, located on a hill overlooking the modern-day town.

The well, if you can toss a coin and have it rest on that pillar, your wish will come true.

Temple, I think to Zeus, at Pergamus.

Pergamus.

Pergamus had the steepest theater in the Ancient World.

Pictures of Ataturk, the leader who reformed and created modern Turkey, are everywhere.

The modern town of Pergamus.

Çay, tea in Turkish. They drink a lot of it, always in glasses like this. It was really good, and cost about 10 cents. We had free time in the village and I saw a man carrying teas on a tray to a shop (the shopkeepers can order tea and get it delivered from the cafes) and asked him where it was and he pointed us to this little cafe on the corner. It looked like in someone's kitchen and it was all Turkish men. They were really nice and made room for us (which we felt really bad about) and even offered us the tea for free, but we payed anyway of course.

Us, with the tea delivery man and the other proprietor. They were very, very, very, very nice.

Wall of the first Troy, the city had been rebuilt five times.

Dog standing on the first wall of Troy, obviously he has no sense of history or respect.

Troy.

Ramp where they think the Trojan Horse was brought in.

This is how we crossed the Dardinelles, our tour bus just drove on the boat and then we could get out and walk around on the boat for 30 minutes, then we got back on the bus and drove to Istanbul.

A memorial for the battle that took place in the Dardinelles during WWI, where the French and British fought the Ottomans. There were lots of Turkish casualties. The sign says something like "Stop yourself and remember all the deaths and horror that took place here."

On the boat, with Kevin on the left.

It says "Grimaldi Lines" on the boat, which I thought was really cool because when we were in Italy on the Amalfi Coast I remember seeing a Grimaldi Lines boat from the cliff.

View from the hotel room in Istanbul at night.

View of another street.

Sweets shop, there was pistacchio baklava, nougat, and Turkish delight (loukoums)!

Rogerio eating grilled corn from a street vendor, they were selling roast hazelnuts too.

Orange and Pomegranate juice= very yummy.

Entrance to the Topkapi Palace.

Marble promenade with an amazing view of the water.

Palace interior.

Fountain for ablutions.

That tower is where the royal family lived.

Blue Mosque.

Blue Mosque, interior.

Interior...

It was almost time for prayer, so we were rushed. The prayers at noon on Friday are the most important. That's when most people actually pray at the mosque and no visitors are allowed.

We had to take off our shoes, and I was wearing a skirt with legging, so I had to put this blue sheet around my legs. I was dumb, I should've thought to wear jeans.

At the Hagia Sophia, a basilica from the 6th century that's still in practically perfect condition!

Mosaics on the ceiling.

Ceiling at the Hagia Sophia.

Mosaic.

Hagia Sophia.

Kitty in the basilica. Really, the cats were everywhere!

And there.

Exchangers with the fez hats.

Lamps at the Grand Bazaar.

In the Grand Bazaar.

"Chicago" in Turkish!

"TGS" made me think of 30 Rock and The Girlie Show, except here it means Turkish Ground Services at the airport :)