Traversing Turkey

I wish pictures could really do justice to these beautiful places! From the night we drove into Istanbul, with these lit up, fantastic mosques scattering the hills, and ancient walls and old buildings mixed right in with the towering hotels and modern structures, I was in love with the city.

Two buildings especially in Istanbul vie for attention. To the left you see me standing with Rebecca, my roomate, in the Blue Mosque, built purposely to rival the famous Aya Sophia (which was originally a church). It's massive and the blue tile work inside is incredibly intricate. It was awe-inspiring for sure!






Here, in the backround (below) you can see the Aya Sophia (as well as my friends Thomas and Scott). The architechture here is crazy amazing!

The view from the Palace. (Lovely!)

Inside the circumcision room.... Interestingly, it's an incredibly beautiful room.

I feel like Mary, and other pictures from the first weeks here

A group of us at the magnificent Dome of the Rock.
Notice the long sleeves or scarfs! :-)
The calligraphy and tile work is just phenomenal and so beautiful! It's a must-see!
(Except inside, which is a "cannot-see"...)

Look! I'm on a donkey! So this Bedoin man just tosses me up onto
the poor animal's back... but it was nice for me! Saved me a lot of walking!
This is in the Jericho area, (after seeing Tel Jericho) which by the way is
in the Western Bank. In the background you can see a monastery built into
the cliffs that memorializes the temptations of Jesus.

This is us about to go on the "Under the Center" tour. 

The Jerusalem Center was built on pylons, which was 

a pretty big idea for the time it was built. This architecture has averted many problems, especially with renovation issues. But, the real point is, now we can walk under it, so they take us on a tour down there, and then there's a room where students for years have signed their names on the walls and pipes. (See my addition below!)