Charity for Turkey

I think the best charity working in Turkey is SOS children's villages in Turkey. Its a really great charity.

Turkey Day 7.

My last day in Turkey. I am back in Istanbul my plane leaves early in the morning tomorrow. I decided to let myself get a couple of trinkets at a bazaar! It was really cool to walk around in a crowded narrow allied old shopping area with everybody shouting really loud in Turkish and me not understanding a word. I ended up getting a little box painted all over with cool designs and a carved wooden stature of a dog that could fit in my pocket. I named him Spot. I also checked out all the beads and the jewelry but I didn't get any of them.I loved my little day in the Bazaar but the highlight of the day was when I got to see the President Abdullah Gul. I was just about to cross the street when there were police cars coming down the road and the president's limo came past. There were a lot of people waving and I was waving and shouting too. He stopped and was talking to the people, and he looked at me and said Hi! I was so proud. I felt like this trip was the best in the world. I had a really good day.

The turkish president

The Grand Bazaar

Turkey Day 6.

Today I went to the ruins of Ephesus, and I met Nicole! It was so weird! Okay, so I was on the bus on the way to the ruins, and the person who comes to sit next to me is none other than Nicole! I turned to her and was like, "Do I know you? Oh my gosh, Nicole, I didn't know you were in Turkey!" We started talking and I figured out she came here two days after I did! Sooo... we decided to see the ruins together. Once we got off the bus, we waited in line to get a ticket and it took us 15 minutes to get in. We were both breath-taken. These were the ruins of a Greek city that was later conquered by the Romans and became the largest city in the empire. It was only till we walked right up to it that I realized this was the home of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world!!!! There was a really cool museum near it with a lot of different sculptures and carvings in it. We walked around there for a little while until Nicole got bored and we went to check the rest of the city out. There were a lot of half crumbled houses and a lot of different façades and pathways. I liked it al lot, it reminded me of when I went to Pompeii in Italy. The archectecture and the state of th ruins were quite similar. By this time we were getting hungry, so we went to the café near the entrance. I had a sort of lamb casserole and Nicole had Dönner Kebabs. Plural. About three of them. Afterwards we worked off our meals with a walk around the rest of the City and checked out the Library of Celsus. It was an old library that held around 12000 scrolls and served as a monumental tomb for Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, whoever he was. When we finally got back on the bus, I realized this wouldn't have been half as fun without Nicole here, and I was happy we had bumped into eachother. Library of Celsus Site of the Temple of Artemis

Turkey Day 5.

Today I went to the Pamukkale thermal pools. They were naturally occurring pools that were heated from deep in the earth, and now have a resort built around them. I went there at around ten thirty in the morning and got into the pools at around eleven. They were wonderfully warm and the water felt almost soft from all the minerals in it. There were many other people there too, mainly middle aged women trying to make themselves look young again, and older people who had joint problems. But it was still fun, and I came out for lunch feeling wonderfully refreshed. After lunch, I went to have a massage. Since I was here, I decided to go all out. It felt wonderful and all of my muscles felt loose and relaxed after traveling for five days. When I left at about four thirty, I was ready to continue touristing around Turkey. A pool in the hotel I went to. that's not snow folks, those are calcium deposits.

Turkey Day 4.

Today I went to see the ruins of Troy. I have heard a lot about the city because of my studies in ancient Greek literature and mythology. When I got there, I was pretty sure what to expect, but it was still amazing! There were many ages of buildings dating from as early as 3000 B.C, to as late as 1000 A.D. I had not expected there to be so many levels, nine to be exact. I first went to check out the oldest part, dating from 3000 BC to 2600 BC. It was really cool to see buildings from that long ago. After that I saw the section from 2600 to 2250 B.C. This was the second best preserved era in the city. It was built at the height of their power as a trade capital. They had some cool walls and rooms you can explore. Next came the 1700 to 1500 BC section that consisted mainly of a stretch of wall and some rooms. This level was destroyed by an earthquake, and there was only one arrowhead found in the entire area. The next was the most famous, the 1300 to 1190 BC, as this was the setting of Homer's Iliad. As you might imagine, there was very little of this era, as it was destroyed in the famous Trojan War. This was by far the most interesting section, as it was steeped in history and myth. This also took the least amount of time, and I decided to have lunch after this. There was a gift shop and a cafe, and since I was getting a mite tired of kebab and pita sandwiches, I tried the Kofta, or spiced meatballs, which were really good. The last section of the city was the newest layer dating from 700 BC to 100 AD. This area was extensive, with an Amphitheater and other extensive buildings during the Roman conquest. On the way back to my hotel, I was thinking over all the things I've seen. The Roman era buildings were apparently resting on old Bronze Age cites. There was some controversy on whether to tear up the Roman areas to expose the Bronze Age buildings below, or to leave them as they are. The Bronze Age areas are older, but the Roman buildings are nearly as old, and valuable as well, and I couldn't decide on what I would do if given the choice. It got me all confused, and I wasn't paying much attention to the road, so I almost ran over a shepherd and his flock of sheep that were crossing the road. He gave me a rude hand gesture and that shocked me into paying attention. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Site map of Troy Don't think I forgot about the Trojan horse! Part of one wall in the city.

Turkey Day 3.

Today was a very fun filled, action packed day. I went rafting down the Dalaman River with eight other people. When I first go there, I didn't know quite what to expect, and I was a little lost, but a friendly lady helped me find where I was supposed to go. Her name was Natasha, and she was leading the beginner raft that was leaving in fifteen minutes. I would be on her raft. I finally got all my gear and onto the raft, and the only seat left was the one right in front next to a girl around my age. Before we set off, Natasha briefed us about what we were to expect, and what we had to do if we fell overboard... Once we got started though, it was really fun, there were around eight waterfalls that we went down, and we were all yelling the whole way down. Right after we leveled off from the first one, a woman fell of the back of the boat. Luckily she was good at swimming so she had no problem staying afloat. We got her back on board eventually, and she didn't seem any worse for wear. This could have been a lot worse if there happened to be a rock where she fell, but there wasn't and she was fine, When we weren't going over waterfalls, we were listening to birds and telling stories about our travels to one another. At one point, we passed under a very old and decrepit bridge that said something in Greek, which I later learned said, "How lucky a man I am, to have built this wonderful bridge over this enchanting river..." It was a great experience, and I would totally do it again, even if one of us fell overboard again. I had a lot of fun, and got completely drenched in the process. I am happy I had this experience. our little group of rafters the bridge from down the river

Turkey Day 2.

Today I went to see the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) in downtown Istanbul. You could tell you were coming up to it because there were six minarets (thin towers) that towered above the rest of the city. Apparently the number of minarets caused a scandal a long time ago, because the Haram Mosque in Mecca had six as well. As far as I can tell, it was solved when the mosque in Mecca added a seventh tower. When I got around to the front, I was astonished by the many domes that make up the roof. I mean, there had to be at least fifteen domes! Wasn't one enough? I have to admit, though, it was an impressive sight. At the entrance, there was a chain over the doorway, a little over head level for a tall person. In the old days this was to encourage people to bow their heads when they entered the mosque. Nifty idea, I think. Once inside it became vividly apparent why they nicknamed this mosque "Blue Mosque". There were thousands of blue tiles making up the roof, 20,000 to be exact. There were some Islamic words written in the domes, but i didn't find out what they mean. The detail here was immense. There were carvings and designs on the floor and pillars and ornate rugs covering the ground. Of course I was most impressed with the tile work on the ceiling, it must have taken years to finish! After I left, I went to check out this area of Istanbul. I saw a lot of old buildings and a couple of newer high rises, but those are mostly in another part of the city. I think today was fun. It was really cool to finally see the blue mosque, I've been wanting to see it for a long time. I also like exploring new cities, it gives a sense of where I am and what the local culture is like. I had another pita sandwich, like last night, and I headed back to my hotel to pack, tomorrow it's off to the Dalaman River. here you can see both the minarets and the many domes these are the blue tiles they were talking about.

Turkey Day 1.

Oh my gosh, I'm finally in Turkey! I've wanted to come here for so long. After I got off the plane, I was hit by the cold. I was expecting it to be in the fifties at least, but the temperature here in Istanbul was in the mid forties. Luckily I was prepared for the worst, and I brought some heavy duty sweaters along with me. The first thing I did after I got set up in my hotel was go out and explore my neighborhood. I was getting hungry so I stopped off at a small cafe that was serving Döner Kebab. It smelled so good with the rich aroma of spices and lamb, it made my mouth water. They also had coffee, Turkish style, which I had heard of but had never tried. It was like sipping rich hot chocolate, very thick and very sweet. There were still coffee grounds in the cup, which I found odd, but not bad. It was piping hot when they gave it to me, and I sat for around five minutes letting steam waft over my face at a tiny checkered table in a random cafe in the middle of Istanbul Turkey. What a life! After lunch, the whole country went home for a collective nap, called a siesta. I didn't nap however and suddenly found myself the only person still awake at two in the afternoon. I walked all around the little area I was in and happened to stumble on a very old mosque. It was closed (siesta time, remember?) so I didn't go in, but I was amazed by the intricacy of the outside alone. There were carvings of geometrical patterns everywhere, stone lattices of star shaped cut-outs that somehow fit together perfectly, and bass reliefs of different scenes from the Koran on the walls facing the street. I was awed. By this time my feet were getting sore, and my jet lag was kicking in, so I decided to gab a quick dinner, a kind of sandwich in pita bread, I headed back to my hotel and went to bed. Döner Kebab the mosque I saw

Seven Things To Do In Turkey

Must dos in Turkey, but these are not set yet: 1. Drink Turkish coffee 2. Go white water rafting down Dalaman River 3. Soak in the Pamukkale Thermal Pools 4. Wander around in a bazaar 5. See the ruins of Troy 6. See the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) 7. Explore the Ruins of Ephesus