Finally, my last Turkey post.

Oh man! I am so behind! Ever since we got back from Turkey...my time has been consumed by school, going into the city, and socializing...which definitely take priority over blogging! Blogging is a bit of a guilty pressure...but I'm recording memories, so it is necessary.

Right? Right.

This is my last Turkey post...be excited.

Friday we packed our bags, loaded up, and off we went.

Off to Sardis. Temple of Artemis. One the Seven Churches of the Revelation, along with Ephesus and a few others. Lots of idol worshipping and false gods...it's understandable why this revelation was needed.

Asian tourists are my favorite. Them and their little umbrellas.

Analise.

Kenz and I modeling.

Then we went over to the city part of Sardis, had some buildings, a little churchy church, and a gymasium. Which then led to a few wrestling matches from the fellas. One kid in our group wrestled in high school, and the rest of the guys didn't stand a chance, but they were good sports about it.

The girls looking REAL tough.

Sometimes I ask Nathan Jellen to take a picture...and he gets a little crazy with the camera.

Poor Jon didn't stand a chance.

Then we spent a good amount of time on the bus...making our way back towards Istanbul.

In Bursa, we went to the Silk Bazaar and a few of us indulged in a Turkish scarf. It was part of the Turkey experience...buying a little silk. 

We went to another beautiful mosque. I can't remember the name of it...but it was the largest mosque in Turkey! So ya...it was big. 

After the mosque we headed to the hotel for dinner. Um...dinner at the hotel in Bursa was THE BEST! It was a buffet style...but really simple, nice, and delicious. The place was decorated very classy and the waiters walked around pooring our water. Compared to all the other places we had eaten, it was a dream. Delicious fruit...oh, the kiwi. AND the highlight of it all was the chocolate cake and chocolate eclairs. Oh. My. Gosh. It was heaven in my mouth. It might just be that it tasted like home or that most of the desserts in Turkey were disappointing...but it was delicious!

Saturday was our last day...but so eventful! 

We first drove to Nicaea...and went to the location of the 1st and 7th Nicene Councils, which was cool. The Nicene Council was such a big step in the history of Christianity. 

The "Hagia Sophia," where the 7th Nicene Council was held.

An all too frequent site on this trip.

The location of where Constantine's Palace would have been, and the location of the 1st Nicene Council. 

We once again drove our bus onto the charter and "drove" across the waters. And we were off to Istanbul...

One of the best parts of the entire Turkey trip was going to THE Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was built by Justinian, initially as a Christian church...to be the most gorgeous Christian church. Over the years it was turned into a mosque...and nowadays it is more of a museum. It is interesting though because they have started to uncover mosaics from when it was a Christian church, so you see both aspects.

Honestly though...pictures really DO NOT do the Hagia Sophia justice...it was gorgeous! 

Then our teachers let us loose for a couple of hours and we were free to explore a little bit. We headed over to the Bazaar for a little bit...it wasn't quite as large as the Grand Bazaar, so it didn't take long to explore. I ended up getting a pillow case...which sounds super random. But it is hand stitched and super pretty. Maybe I should have gotten two, to balance a couch out...but I had a hard time getting myself to spend the money on one...two might have been pushing my limits. But I'll keep it for someday when I have a house or apartment to put it in...that tends to be my thought process for a few different things that I buy here. 

Then, we made sure to put in time for the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was pretty crazy too. It is a working mosque...and it is covered with gorgeous blue tiles. My pictures from here are all kind of dark...so they definitely don't do it justice.

A couple of us headed to the bathroom...and here the bathrooms generally consist of toilets and squatters. Why people would choose a squatter over a toilet is beyond me? Except one time I saw a few Muslim women come into a bathroom and specifically go towards the squatter...so maybe it is easier for Muslim women, I'm really not sure. I pretty much managed to avoid one the whole week...even when some places only had squatters, I somehow managed. But at this last stop, my friend forced me to use one as part of the Turkey experience...it wasn't not as bad as I thought it would be. Girl's Camp trained me well. (I'm not sure why I felt the need to add that to my blog...but there it is...all about the squatters.)

We met up and went to our last meal in Turkey. It ended up being a seafood meal. It was an odd meal though...because most places were pretty efficient with our large group...but this place was pretty slow. Also, you couldn't ever tell if that was the meal or if there was going to be more...it's always a guessing game. I was forced to try an anchovy covered in a green olive...um...nasty! Our meal was fish...and a lot of people didn't like it...but I actually thought it was pretty good. Also, they gave us a fruit plate...with delicious strawberries! Yum! 

After dinner...we headed to the airport...and had a red eye back to Tel Aviv. I definitely crashed the entire flight. It is known the people that sit by me on planes...that I can sleep in odd positions. I guess I have just learned to accommodate...plus, I enjoy sleeping...so I make due.

That is finally the end to my Turkey trip. Hopefully I recorded everything that I care to remember! 

It was a great trip...definitely one to remember!!