I've heard that Ephesus is the most impressive archeological sites in Turkey... I agree! As we strolled the streets of Ephesus and listened to Gem's great historical play by play, I was in awe of this place. Ephesus has a special significance for Christians. From here Paul preached, Timothy taught and after John was exiled from Ephesus he wrote the letters to the seven churches. In the letter to Ephesus, John warned "... you have abandoned the love (you had) at first..." (Revelation 2:4)

The troubles Paul encountered are a vivid example of how commercial interests can be affected by religious beliefs. The sale of the silver images of Artemis declined as Paul preached that "gods made by human hands are not gods at all" (Acts 19-26) Much can be learned by the history of this place... it's worth digging into more. I'm thirsty!

Did you know...? This is actually the third Ephesus...come with us this November and learn what that means...

Enjoy the pictures of a city that must have been the most beautiful cities of the ancient world!

Turkish Carpets! I'm learning so much! These handmade carpets are a one of a kind, never to be duplicated! Check out the pictures. This is just one room of carpets...there were many many rooms.

Here are some ladies making a silk carpet about 3 X 5. It will take her about 3 years to finish and will cost around $2-$3,000.00 USD when completed. Can you imagine? Now, don't get sticker shock. There are many carpets that are affordable! What a great souvenir!

Now check out the silk worm and how they get their silk for the carpets... Wow!

When we got back to our hotel we enjoyed the spa at the hotel and got a great massage. A perfect way to end our week. We woke up early the next morning and flew from Izmir to Istanbul...then on to Chicago. Once again, Turkish Airlines was amazing! By the way - here are some pictures of the luxurious hotel you'll be staying at in Kusadasi.

"Fancy shmancy!"

Here are Cem, our guide (pronounced Gem) and George and Nusert from Rainbow Tours Turkey... these guys were so great to host us on this fabulous trip. They are the ones who will be working behind the scenes for us in November to make our trip so memorable. Hi guys! Thanks again for your wonderful hospitality!

Colleen...You are a great traveling companion! I would go to the ends of the earth with you. Thanks for all the fun memories and sacrifices you made to come. Until the next adventure...

I have such great memories of our time in Turkey. I can't stress enough how safe and interesting this country is. Don't miss out. Visit Israel this November, then add on this Turkey extension to get a full experience of the Holy Lands... Please don't hesitate to call me with questions you have! See you in Israel...and Turkey this November!

Kim

My eyes are crossing I'm so tired...but I want to get this down before another busy day comes upon me tomorrow. Today's first stop was Sardis. Or what Colleen and I now call "Sardis and the four dogs". As soon as we started walking around this, the most picturesque church of them all... four stray dogs came over wagging over to us to say "hello". They followed us around the whole church grounds. I think they thought they were the official welcoming party. I'm not sure Colleen heard a word that Cem, our guide said since she passionately believes that she has been placed on this earth to personally care for every single animal alive. Boy, you sure do learn a lot about people when you travel with them! Ha! Here is Sardis, capital of the ancient Lydia where the first coin of the world was invented. I'm not sure if you can see the great detail in the building there, but it is amazing. This is where John warned the people of this community – "though you have the name of being alive, you are dead. Wake up! Make stronger what you have before it dies..." I don't know about you, but that sounds so relevant for today too!

We continued to Alasehir to see the 1st century Philadelphia Church which is another one of the Seven Churches of Revelation and was one of the two churches about which John said noting negative.

Hierapolis (Pamukkale) has a spectacular site of calcified, cascading white terraces that look like snow. It's the result of the calcium deposits developed over time as water flowed over the area. Colleen and I waded in the hazy waters full of minerals. It was fun...and a bit strange. Here are some pictures...

Those of you who have not visited Laodicea in a while would find a lot more to view than just a few years ago. Digging has discovered all that you see here! The archeology and the view are simply amazing! Turkey has a climate much like the Midwest. It gets cold in the winter, so excavating these ruins cannot occur year around. They depend a lot on summers and volunteers! Imagine what is under the ground yet to be discovered in this ancient land! I wish I had a special kind of x-ray vision to see – hasn't someone invented that yet? I'm surprised!

See that small white patch in the distance? That is Pamukkale! It's that close!

We overnighted in Pamukkale in a nice hotel here! Much needed sleep is on my agenda tonight. Tomorrow is Ephesus and I've heard that I will want to be ready for all that it has to offer me...

I can't wait!

Kim

I realized today that I hadn't thought much about Turkey and how important it is to Christianity. Today my eyes were opened. I've been really focused on Israel, where Jesus was born and died... but there is so much more to the story after His death here in Turkey.

Today we started out in Pergamum, then visited Thyatira and ended in Smyrna. It was a full day with a wonderful lunch in between. Our guide, Cen (pronounced Gem) was so full of information that Colleen and I caught ourselves hanging on his every word. We learned things today about Paul and the churches that we did not know. He explained the scriptures to us, relevant to each church and helped us understand what it all meant. You know sometimes the Bible is difficult and Revelations can be one of the hardest to understand. Gem explained things very clearly and made it very easy to understand.

I understand now that it's not about the churches we visit...it's about the community in which Revelations is referring to... Paul was so important in spreading Christianity through out the world. I hadn't realized the magnitude in which he traveled and given the fact that he never met Jesus face to face and still was the greatest disciple ever – just amazes us.

Here are some pictures of Pergamum.

Here we are in Smyrna. This is the highest elevation and looking down at the city of Izmir (Smyrna). We are getting blown around by the wind...but can't complain since the view here is so amazing. There is so much history here and yet local families are picnicking nearby and neighborhood boys are playing football (soccer) next to the ancient ruins.

Here are some pictures of the rooms and of lobby of the hotel you will be staying at in Izmir. It is a very nice 4 star hotel. The dinner tonight was amazing! I loved the meatballs! Colleen was crazy over the desserts. We sat near a window facing the gardens. It was really a nice way to end our day...

Sorry... you have to turn your head on this one...

Tomorrow we will check out of our hotel and travel to Pamukkale. The adventure keeps going on and on. We have not been bored for one second... it has been well balanced and so informative.

I feel completely comfortable here. Before we came, we did not know what to expect. We heard about Turkey and that it is a 99% Muslim country, located in the Middle East – that alone made us cautious. But I have come to realize that a 99% Muslim country does not mean 99% of the people are radical Islamic. There is a small percentage that are Orthodox Muslim's and worship at the Mosque 5 times per day... but majority of the people of Turkey are normal "Joe's" like you and me. They wear regular clothes...live normal lives very close to ours... You know, just like Christians, there are some more religious than others... no different here in Turkey.

Everyone we have encountered, whether Orthodox or not...has been very kind and welcoming. I think we (or maybe it is just me) had a misconception of the people of the Muslim faith. This trip as really opened my eyes... to the disciples and all the efforts they made here and for the people of Turkey. I know you're eyes will be opened too. And you will be blessed by it just as I am.

Call us to get more information on how you can come to Turkey with us after the Israel tour this November. You won't regret your decision. I promise!

Kim

This morning was a perfect morning to begin our final day of exploring Istanbul. We walked to the spice bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar. It is smaller than the Grand Bazaar and a little different. You guessed it, it has lots of spices! The smells were so great! Colleen and I both got some goodies to take home!

Here's a picture of Colleen standing next to some spices!

Right outside the Egyptian Bazaar was the Bosphorus. We crossed the street and boarded the ferry for our cruise. The Bosphorus is the body of water that passes along the shores of Istanbul and is about 20 miles long. It's the physical divider between the continents of Europe and Asia. It gives passage to/from the Black Sea to the Marmara. The scenery was so beautiful and relaxing.

Here are some pictures from the ferry...

Chora Church was next. Wow! This 11th-century church has remarkable mosaics illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. I am so amazed by this place. 11th-century!!! Our guide was so full of knowledge, he explain everything so clearly and was very patient with our millions of questions.

Here is a picture of us standing outside the church. It looks so, bare and unassuming... but once you walk inside you're mouth drops open in awe. I decided not to show you the inside. I want you to have the same jaw dropping experience that we did. It's so much more fun that way!

After we said good bye to our guide Arol, we flew to Izmir via Turkish Airlines and once again, Turkish was remarkable with their service and timeliness. The flight was only 1 hour long and they actually served us a meal. Yes, you heard that right! I was once again very impressed by this airline!

So, here we are now, at the Izmir Princess Hotel. Time to get some rest for a big day tomorrow. The seven churches await us (and you) in the coming days.

Kim

That's what I heard Colleen say to me tonight as we made our way back to our hotel after a long but thrilling day of exploring Istanbul. You have to know how relieved I am to hear this from her since she was very hesitant to join me on this trip. She was, to say the least a bit nervous about coming here. You know how some places seem just like such a foreign place - places that we don't hear about everyday - places that are of different culture and so far away? It's understandable to be apprehensive. I'm just so glad that she followed her heart and pressed on. She is glad that she came already and she has not even visited any of the seven churches yet!

We started our day by meeting our guide in the lobby of our hotel. The day's agenda? A walking tour of Istanbul. There is so much to see here. So much history! We visited first the Topkapi Palace then the Basilica Cistern. After the Cistern we went to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and then finally the Grand Bazaar. We walked a lot. I recommend tennis shoes for sure - and WOW what fascinating places! We learned so much today I am still absorbing it all. That's all I'll say for now, I want you to come here and see it for yourself. My words certainly cannot do this awesome place justice.

The hotel where you'll be staying here in Istanbul is a quaint "boutique" hotel. It has a great roof top restaurant where you will enjoy breakfast and dinner. With the glassed walls of the restaurant everyone has a wonderful view of the city and of the Bospheros.

Tomorrow we finish our touring in Istanbul, then fly to Izmir in the evening, just as you will. I am curious what Izmir has in store for us.

Here are some pictures of our day today...

Here I am in one of the many courtyards at Topkapi Palace.

As Colleen and I explored Topkapi Palace we turned the corner and walked out to this amazing view of the Bospheros. It was very unexpected and took our breath away. These Sultans really had it made when they lived here!

Istanbul is a very busy place!

Here's a picture of the Blue Mosque. It wasn't prayer time, so we got to go in and look around. It was really interesting.

Here's a picture of the Grand Bazaar. It just went on and on and on... It was a very high energy place and you can find just about anything you're looking there!

Another big day tomorrow! I can't wait!

Kim

The same place Matt Lauer from the Today Show is of course! Once we arrived and checked in we heard that the Today Show's Matt Lauer chose Istanbul for his next stop on his very popular "Where in the world is Matt Lauer segment". We found out minutes after checking in to our hotel. So, since today is a free day, we walked 10 minutes to the Blue Mosque in hopes to watch the show. Sure enough they were there! We even talked with Matt briefly before the cooking segment and waved to everyone at home! I thought Colleen was going to passout from excitement!

Here are some pictures we took of the fun.

Well... We started this adventure boarding a Turkish Airline flight from Chicago. I didn't really know what to expect since I've never flown Turkish Airline before. I had this idea that one airline was the same as the next - boy was I wrong! Turkish Airline handed out toiletry kits with socks, toothbrush/paste, eye masks and more. The leg room was quite spacious and you won't believe this, considering that it was a 12 hours flight - but I got a lot of sleep and was really quite comfortable! There was plenty to do on the flight to keep us busy. There were tons of movie choices, games, and information on many destinations that Turkish Airlines flies...all from my personal video screen located in the seat back in front of me. I am happy to announce for those of you who sign up for the Israel/Turkey Extension Tour, you will be flying Turkish Airline. You will enjoy it!

Here is Colleen relaxing before take off.

When we arrived in Istanbul we deplaned and purchased our Turkish Visa. Visa's for Turkey are $20 and very easy to get at the airport. Then we proceeded thru passport control and got our bags. Very easy, lots of English on signs and our Rainbow Turkey Tour representative was waiting for us.

What would Turkey be like? I really was anxious to get out of the airport and on to the fun. It was a short enjoyable drive along the banks of the Marmara to Istanbul and our hotel... then we found Matt Lauer and the rest is history...and a great start to our adventure.

We had a wonderful dinner and now we are going to get some rest for tomorrow!

Who knows what will happen tomorrow!

Kim