Trip to Turkey - August/September 2002

Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantium, whatever you want to call it, the city is full of historical sites to see.

The Blue Mosque, perhaps the top tourist attraction in the city.

Michelle standing in front of the famed 5th century church turned mosque turned museum Aya Sophia. Directly across from the Blue Mosque.

A suriving mosaic inside Aya Sophia.

What is a 12th century BC Egyptian obelisk doing on the Hippodrome next to the Blue Mosque? Just the spoils of imperial conquest. This is the best preserved ancient relic I saw. Another reminder that if you want something to last, use granite.

The massive gates guarding the entrance to the Topkapi Palace complex, home of the sultans for hundreds of years.

Two shots of the private quarters of the sultans - and their women and eunuch slaves - the Harem.

Faithful moslems performing ablutions before prayer time at Suleyman's Mosque, the largest in Istanbul.

Me standing in the courtyard behind Suleyman's Mosque, the city in the background.

The banks of the Bosphorous River are lined with European style palaces frequented by the later sultans.

Modern suspension bridges cross the Bosphorous at multiple points.

An old Ottoman fortress guarding the Bosphorous River.

At the end of a long boat cruise up the Bosphorous, there's nothing like a cold Efes, Turkey's national beer. Served cold in shops for only 67 cents - for a tall boy!

No trip to Istanbul would be complete without a visit to the Grand Bazaar. Don't fall for the fake Rolexs.

Istanbul is not just a city full of relics. Life continues today. Fishermen and pedestrians on the Galata Bridge.

Fishermen dock by the Galata Bridge and fry up their catch right on the boat as eager customers gather around.

We woke up one morning to find the street outside our hotel turned into an open air market.

Shops and restaurants (including, yes, McDonald's) lining the Divan Yolu.

More upscale shopping puruits await along this pedestrian mall running south from Taksim Square to the Tunel train station.

A very, very tired Aaron and Michelle on the balcony of their hotel room overlooking the Bosphorus River - right after arriving on our nine hour flight.

The minarets of the Blue Mosque, peeking above the tree line.

Picture - Ephesus

Yes, it is Ephesus of the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians fame.

The ruins at Ephesus draw large crowds in the summer.

The library at Ephesus. This is also featured on the back of the 20,000,000 lira note.

No Greco-Roman city would be complete without a theatre. This one was rather large, as you can see.

An old entryway makes a nice frame for a picture of Michelle and me.

Picture - Ankara

An obligatory shot of the city.

Turkish musicians playing very engaging folk music at henna night, the day before our friend's wedding. The Turkish people love to dance to this music. These guys were awesome.