Istanbul

Traveling Turkey

Today marks our departure for a 3 week trek around Turkey. We'll be hitting Izmir, Selcuk, Ephesus, Kas, Olympos, Tekirova, Antalya, Gaziantep, Urfa, Mardin, Harran, Diyarbekir, Hassankeyif, Elazig and Harput, Van Dogubeyazit, Kars, and Ani!

This is about a 4000 kilometer trip that will involve lots of overnight bus rides, but I think we are ready for it. We'll meeting certain friends and contacts along the way and if Turkish hospitality in the east of the country is anything like it is in the west, we'll be well taken care of.

tulips are everywhere in istanbul

where the bosphorus meets the black sea...

mike tyson in istanbul!? i can only imagine the conversation he might have had with someone trying to hawk him pistachios

my favorite class...

Pigeons!!

Spring has arrived in Istanbul and so have pigeon eggs on one of our windowsills. It is fun to watch--the mother does the longer night shift and then the father comes in from about 10am until 4pm. The mother usually checks in to make sure the father isn't shirking his duties. I never knew pigeons could be so endearing.

Pigeon eggs on our windowsill...

Tunisia

Every three months I have to leave Turkey to renew my tourist visa (yes, I'm not legally in Turkey). Most go to Bulgaria and literally cross over the border and cross right back. I decided the beach sounded a little more appealing and chose a mini-vacation to Tunisia because I have a friend who is also doing a Fulbright there. Tunisia was very pleasant and a welcome escape from the craziness of Istanbul.

Here are a few pictures from the trip...

The Mediterranean is a something I could get used to being around

Volleyball in tunisia? It was quite an active vacation. I played tennis, volleyball, and a round of golf.

another incredible mosaic...odysseus tied up as not to be lured by the sirens...

beatiful mosaics at the Bardo museum. My friend Pauline (also a Fulbright) is studying "dining room" mosaics from the 2nd to 4th century AD.

Some of you may recall our trip to the wine expo last fall. We were a bit more official for the most recent expo having an official invitation. This time we decide Courtney would act as head researcher and I vice president of sales. Of course, we're still working for agate ventures. Turkish wine still has a way to go (at one point we both smelled vomit as a distinguishing characteristic of a white), but free wine is good wine, right?

Mount Erciyes

Skiing...let's just say I have a new appreciation for Steamboat. Look at the snow coverage in the background. I did ski in denim for the first time (a highlight) and had some sweet rear-entry nordica boots.

check out the onyx elephant...go jumbos!

some people were serious about the eclipse...

others were even more serious...

Mount Erciyes...this is where I tore up the slopes only one day earlier

just about fully eclipsed...surreal. Check out the glowing hot air balloon in the sky! A ride on this supposedly cost 1500 Euros

full eclipse...to see a picture of the moon in front of the sun, check out edgeofasia.blogspot.com.

I want to live in this house...

breakfast at the asia minor hotel...turkish breakfast is my brother-in-law Matt's favorite--tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, a hard boiled egg and yogurt

"throwing" my very own clay pot...look at the concentration. Avanos is a town in Cappadocia famous for its pottery

Courtney and I with Michael and Gerardo

We visited some family friends who are vacationing in Istanbul at the local jail last night.

Jail, you ask? Well the Four Seasons Hotel was at one time the Sultanahmet Prison. It has been beautifully restored and now resembles anything but a jail. Their tag line is that "you would gladly serve time with us." I agree. We had a wondeful evening.

Tonight I'm headed off to Kayseri (ancient Caesarea), about 10 hours east of Istanbul. There will be a solar eclipse on Wednesday and Kayseri is in the region of Cappadoccia, one of the most geographically interesting places in all of Turkey. Lots of photos to come...