Fall Break in Turkey
This year we got a full week off of school for Fall break, so Byron, Liza, Kevin, Soomi, Danielle and I decided to go to Turkey. It's a wonderful place. The people are wonderful, warm, gregarious, and generous. Everyone seems to know English, and they all want to talk to you (or course many of them are only doing it to sell you a carpet). Istanbul is a city rich in history and culture. It's amazing to walk through the narrow streets and see countless minarets poking up above the buildings, to shop in 500 year old stores, and visit 1500 year old churches. We got lucky and arrived on the national holiday celebrating the 81st anniversary of the formation of the Turkish state. So we got to see a festival and fireworks. It was also the month of Ramadan, so there were lots of other cultural things happening too. It was super.
Danielle and I also took a 2-day trip into central Turkey to Cappadocia. It's an unbelievable place. The land there is made of a very soft rock that has eroded into some fantastic shapes. It was called the land of the "Fairy Chimneys" several thousand years ago. Because the rock is so soft, many people carved houses into the rock. In some places castles and even whole cities have been hollowed out. (Though we didn't visit any of the underground cities.) The natural landscape is surreal, and combined with the carved houses, it was hard to believe the things I was seeing were real.
One final word. GO!!! Go to Turkey! Your life will be better if you do. It's wonderful.
