I recently had the opportunity to take four guys from Missouri around the southern part of our country. We were able to see some places rich in history and culture. As far as sightseeing goes, the highlight of the trip was going to Harran, where Abraham lived before moving to Palestine. There's no disputing that it is the ancient city that is spoken of in Genesis. Today, instead of being a major city located on a major trade route, it looks more like a village. Many of the people living there still live in "beehive" shaped houses that help keep the homes cool in the extremely hot summer.
As for the four guys in the picture below, each are over 50 years old, but they made me feel like the old guy in the group. While strolling through a park in a city called Urfa around 10:30 at night, one asked if we should climb a steep walkway to the castle overlooking the city. My answer was that we would have time in the morning. But, someone else quickly replied, "We might as well do it now." About an hour later we got back to the hotel and I had my best night's sleep of the whole trip.
Here's the crew at Mt. Nemrut standing beside Hercules and Apollos.
This place is literally called "Fishy Lake" or "Lake with Fish."
Whatever you call it, it looked like a fish pond to me.
Some people believe the fish in this pond are holy.
Women feeding the holy carp.
A local man lounges in the shade at a family park.
The purple headscarf that he's wearing is exclusive to the area around Urfa.
Both men and women wear them.
A scene from the famous Urfa Bazaar.
The "beehive" homes in Harran.
The museum in Harran that allows you to see inside the homes.
The sitting room where guests would be entertained.
A local woman prepares the family bed for the evening.
Because the temperatures are so hot, everyone sleeps outside.
Some say it was the first university in the world,
others say it was the second. Regardless it's pretty old.
A picture from the Asian side of Istanbul with the Bosphorous and
At one of the many restaurants where we ate.
Belly to...well...no belly, with the Aya Sofia in the background.
Inside the Aya Sofia.
Elizabeth eating her first durum...
and drinking her first Turkish coffee.
We weren't quite the proud Americans we should've been sailing up the Bosphorous with an American flag flying for all to see. To put it lightly,
Thanks to our friends who work for the Consulate we enjoyed Dr. Pepper...
and cheesecake made with real Philadelphia cream cheese.
The guys showed their manliness by jumping into the cold Black Sea.
Once again we have to apologize for the lack of posts on the blog. We arrived in Istanbul almost a month ago! Since then we’ve been busying ourselves finding our way around this city of 15 million people on public transportation, going to language class, hanging out with friends and family, having the occasional Starbucks and fast food, and surviving the heat. Hopefully the next few posts will help catch you up on life in Istanbul as we anxiously await our baby boy.
Klaire had to nap through the shower,
We can't resist dark-eyed, dark-skinned babies.
Locals can't resist blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies.
Jack and Klaire relaxing in the shade.
Chicken wings on the grill
Chicken wings on the "table"
What's a picnic without dancing?
That's not a smile on Stephen's face. It's the face of a guy who's trying
Here's the crew at Mt. Nemrut standing beside Hercules and Apollos.
This place is literally called "Fishy Lake" or "Lake with Fish."
Women feeding the holy carp.
A local man lounges in the shade at a family park.
A scene from the famous Urfa Bazaar.
The "beehive" homes in Harran.
The museum in Harran that allows you to see inside the homes.
The sitting room where guests would be entertained.
A local woman prepares the family bed for the evening.
Some say it was the first university in the world,
The fun of being pregnant in a tactless culture began today
10 bucks says Sarah sleeps with the bear more than the baby does.
Realizing Stephen knows nothing about babies,
Guess which local candy bar is melted in the diaper.
Jack eating the candy bar.
Does two lines mean what I think it means?
Like you, we're hoping our child looks like Sarah.
Recently, we enjoyed spending a little over a week in the big city. Our company put on a retreat to help us recharge and refocus. The added bonus for us was that our fellowship in Texas helped facilitate the retreat. We were able to see several of our friends and three of them even traveled back to our city for a few days afterwards. Shane, his wife, Sylvia, and Carol stayed with us for about 48 hours before returning to the States. The last picture is us with "the Amy Nobles." We knew her before she was on iTunes.
One of our favorite things to do when we go to the big city
They were much better than you would have expected.
After working all morning on language, Sarah was able to enjoy a short nap with her favorite IKEA blanket and floor pillows. But, then her husband got hungry and made her get up and fix him lunch. Before you send me hate emails, I'm just joking. These pictures were taken one Saturday afternoon. She sure is cute, isn't she?
