Hagia Sophia
Although the squishy sugarry squares are admittedly tastey,Turkish Delights are not half so enchanting as the country whose name they bear.
For anyone who craves world travel, might I persuade you to move Turkey to the top of your list of wished-for destinations? Maybe it was a trick of the season--perhaps Turkey is not so charming in weeks other than the end of May. Maybe my tour guide cunningly led us through only the greenest fields, the tallest mountains, and the quaintest villages. Maybe there are fewer than hundreds of impressive ruins, or perhaps the mosques don't look so grand in the snow. Maybe the locals aren't all as kind and helpful as the ones I met. But from everything that I saw, heard, and tasted, Turkey is a delight!
We followed in the footsteps of the apostle Paul and John the Revelator, opening up the New Testament and sitting where Paul sat, singing where he was persecuted, and trying to make our hearts a little more like his. We could not preach of Christ boldly as he did (being contrained by Jerusalem Center agreements about proselyting), but we rejoiced in Christ, read of Christ, and enjoyed the creations that bear witness of Christ.
Turkey in a Week:
Monday - Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Sultan's Palace (Topkapi), open Bazaar, Bosporous Cruise, Underground Cistern, Dinner overlooking the Marmara Sea
Tuesday - Troas: Ruins of Troy (reading Iliad at the place where Heinrich Schleiman supposes it would have taken place), evening on the sea
Wednesday - Pergamam: Temple of Athena at Assos (darling village!), Trajan Temple Acropolis, Rug Factory (ridiculously expensive, but impressive), Asclepion, beachside hotel
Thursday - Ephesus and Miletus (refer to Ephesians and the books of Paul in the NT): Devotional at the Ephesus ruins (incredible!), Miletus ruins, evening at a hotsprings hotel, an unexpected 5.9 earthquake
Friday - Bursa and Pamukale: natural springs at Pamukale, early sacrament meeting in Bursa, open bazaar for Turkish delight
Saturday - Istanbul: Grand Mosque (the largest in Turkey), Nicea (!), Haggia Sophia, fish dinner
Temple of Athena Ruins
No comments:
Post a Comment