Izmir

We arrived in Izmir Tuesday morning and spent the day exploring and getting a feel for the city. We met with 3 more families here. I thought my tank of knowledge was full, then we met with a family who gave us a completely different (and very valuable) perspective. We had many divine appointments in our 2 weeks and are thankful for each one.

Izmir's iconic clock tower

We were there May 19, their Independence Day. Lots of flags around the city.

A shop owner hanging up a flag.
This is at an internet cafe we used while there.

Walking along Izmir's Agean Sea coast.

Shopping at the bazaar.

Marbles

Lunch: the top is a rolled pastry with meat, the other is croissant-like with spinach.

Soccer is Turkey's main sport. This is a soccer arena in a neighborhood park.

A playground next to it.

Dining with some friends on their patio/balcony.

The ferries were my favorite mode of transportation.

Can you see the hillside covered with buildings?

A school

IKEA! See the blue sign? Turkey has 3 of them. They also had Starbucks, McD's, Pizza Hut, and others. One of my preferred fast food restaurants there was a baked potato bar where they perform Cold Stone choppery to mix in the toppings.

We took a day trip to Ephesus, about an hour south of Izmir by minibus. It was so neat to be where Biblical folks once were. Paul's got the audio tour going on.

This is the Grand Theater. It seats 25,000 people.
See Acts 19 for events that happened here.

Inside

A view from higher up.

Paul is walking toward what was once the Church of St. Mary.

The baptistry

Curetes Street leading to the library and grave of Celsus.

The aforementioned library. It looks just like the picture on my souvenir book!

Why does it say not to enter?

Ooo, a secret passageway... We didn't explore, but I wanted to.

Our minibus transportation to and from Izmir/Ephesus.

At one of the 5 airports we traveled through to get home. He's working on his sermon.

We were 'involuntary upgraded' for our longest flight- yahoo!

So long, Turkey.

Ankara

Our bus arrived in Ankara in the late evening. We took the subway into the busy city to find our hotel. The Turkish people were so helpful along our whole trip as we tried to find hotels, people's homes, and bus stations.

This is a view of Turkey's countryside from our bus ride to Ankara. The mosques stand out in each village/town.

This is downtown Ankara, Turkey's capital.

Apartment homes

A lovely neighborhood.

Our hotels all provided us with breakfast. We enjoyed hard-boiled eggs, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, olives, breads, an orange beverage and tea. Oh, and corn flakes.

This is Ataturk's mausoleum. Paul likes to boast that we have seen the tombs of 4 original heads of state. Ho Chi Min, Chairman Mao, George Washington, and now Ataturk. Ho Chi Min and Mao were neat because we actually got to see their preserved bodies. Below is Ataturk's tomb...

I'm not sure if his body is actually in there. I thought I read that that is a solid piece of marble. Not sure.

Guarding the mausoleum together.

So there's this castle... It's behind the street light there, up on a hill. We climbed that hill and my shins and hips hurt for several days. It was quite steep and had lots of stairs (and I've been sedentary all winter). So, we never actually found a castle. There was a castle wall and a little village inside.

We tried to search around for a castle, but some young girls shook their heads at us like, "Don't go any farther." So we started down the hill in search of a museum that was supposed to be pretty neat.

Where are we again?

We got to the museum too late, even though the sign said it should still be open. In our search for it, we actually walked right by it without knowing.

We are outside an international church.

Inside before it started.

Church security... The man on the left has metal detector wand and the man on the right (was a visitor) has a gun on his hip. The rightside guy didn't end up staying for the service.

We were invited in to the kitchen at a restaurant. A group of ladies were making little raviolis.

Little ravioli. I think they were called mandi, or something close to that. Sorry I can't remember exactly, but they were good. Once cooked, they were topped with a yogurt and tomato sauce.

An apartment building near the restaurant and church.

An international school we toured. It was very nice.

Inside. 30% of their students are Korean. Super neat for our family.

Getting on the overnight train to Izmir - a 14 hour trip.

Our own little room

The hallway of sleeper cabins.

Using a squatty potty on a moving train... Not easy.

I felt like I was in a movie in the dining car. I didn't know they really existed.

Time to 'sleep'. Not a solid sleep with the rocking and clanging, but the time passed quickly.

A small town along the way to Izmir. See the mosque?

Welcome to Izmir.

What these pictures don't show are the long, interesting conversations we enjoyed with families who have lived there many years. They were so kind and gave us a lot of insight on living and serving there.

Next will be a tour of Izmir and a day trip to Ephesus...